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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · tube · capital · fine · spell · lie · wind · club

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. spell — magic
  7. capital — a city
  8. lie — to recline
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. spell — a short time
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. club — for golf
  14. tube — the underground
  15. club — for dancing
  16. club — a group
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. fine — high quality
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. tube — a container
  23. spell — letters
  24. capital — money

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