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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: drill · season · racket · can · pitcher · capital · board · sharp

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — money
  5. drill — army training
  6. sharp — clever
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — of the year
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. drill — the tool
  13. can — a tin
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. board — to get on
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. can — to be able to
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. board — a committee
  21. can — a tin
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. drill — a practice

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