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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.

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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: capital · saw · mouse · cap · stock · bass · mate · pitcher

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. cap — of ice
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bass — low music
  8. stock — shares
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — the fish
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. capital — a city
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cap — a lid
  18. capital — money
  19. mate — a partner
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cap — a hat
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. stock — goods

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