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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: sharp · ground · rash · craft · row · capital · kick · pitcher

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. sharp — clever
  3. capital — a city
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — crushed
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. capital — money
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. ground — the earth
  14. row — a line
  15. rash — hasty
  16. craft — boats
  17. row — to paddle
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. craft — a skill
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — on the skin

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