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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: can · pitcher · jam · race · tube · deal · bound · capital

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. race — a contest
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. tube — the underground
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. can — a tin
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. bound — certain
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. can — a tin
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. capital — money
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. can — to be able to
  18. bound — tied together
  19. tube — a container
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — humankind
  23. deal — to handle
  24. bound — obliged

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