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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
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: tube · cap · capital · staff · swing · charge · pitcher · straw

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. charge — electricity
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. staff — employees
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — a city
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. swing — to play on
  13. cap — of ice
  14. swing — in golf
  15. staff — a stick
  16. cap — a lid
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. charge — in control
  19. swing — music
  20. tube — the underground
  21. capital — money
  22. staff — employees
  23. tube — a container
  24. charge — a price

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