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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.

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: bay · temple · capital · drill · sharp · pitcher · chip · wake

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a city
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. chip — to eat
  6. drill — the tool
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. drill — a practice
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. drill — army training
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. sharp — clever
  24. wake — a trail

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