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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: rush · suit · face · pitcher · hand · game · capital · tube

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. hand — in cards
  4. capital — a city
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. hand — help
  10. game — a match
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. tube — the underground
  13. capital — money
  14. face — part of the head
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — wild animals
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. suit — to fit
  20. rush — hurry
  21. face — to confront
  22. suit — in cards
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. suit — clothes

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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