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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: coach · current · rock · mark · craft · capital · pitcher · kid

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. craft — boats
  3. mark — a grade
  4. kid — to tease
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. craft — a skill
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. current — of water
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. current — happening now
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. rock — music
  16. mark — a trace
  17. capital — money
  18. kid — child
  19. capital — a city
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. rock — a stone
  22. current — electric
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. pitcher — a jug

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