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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 116 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: cap · capital · craft · spell · cue · stick · present · pitcher

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — letters
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. present — a gift
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cue — for pool
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. capital — money
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. cap — a lid
  13. craft — boats
  14. spell — magic
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. cap — of ice
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. present — there
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. cue — a signal
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. present — the time now
  23. cue — a hint
  24. craft — a skill

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