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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: capital · content · drill · fine · pitcher · branch · cue · lash

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. content — happy
  3. branch — a division
  4. cue — a hint
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. drill — army training
  7. cue — for pool
  8. content — the amount
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. drill — the tool
  13. capital — a city
  14. capital — money
  15. cue — a signal
  16. fine — all right
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. drill — a practice
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. fine — high quality
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. branch — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com