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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.

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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: dip · pitcher · capital · pass · fan · mouse · jam · tear

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. tear — to rip
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. capital — a city
  16. dip — to sink
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. tear — from crying
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. capital — money
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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