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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: current · capital · pitcher · kid · spell · drill · lash · arm

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. spell — a short time
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. current — happening now
  7. kid — to tease
  8. capital — money
  9. spell — letters
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. current — of water
  12. current — electric
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. drill — a practice
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. capital — a city
  17. kid — child
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. drill — army training
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. drill — the tool
  24. spell — magic

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