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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: bat · sharp · can · capital · pitcher · dip · wind · bulb

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. bat — the animal
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. can — a tin
  9. capital — money
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. bulb — for light
  19. capital — a city
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — a jug

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