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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: pitcher · dip · fan · lie · mate · saw · calf · capital

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mate — a partner
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. capital — money
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. saw — the tool
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. capital — a city
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — to breed
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. saw — the tool
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to sink

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