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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: rash · drill · stick · capital · pound · bound · pitcher · fine

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. drill — army training
  3. capital — money
  4. bound — certain
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bound — tied together
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. fine — high quality
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. bound — obliged
  13. capital — a city
  14. fine — all right
  15. drill — a practice
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. rash — hasty
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. drill — the tool
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. rash — a series
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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