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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: pop · pitcher · pass · cap · capital · band · bank · game

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pop — to visit
  3. cap — a hat
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. cap — of ice
  11. bank — of a river
  12. game — wild animals
  13. pop — music
  14. cap — a lid
  15. band — a music group
  16. bank — for money
  17. pass — a permit
  18. capital — money
  19. bank — for money
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. game — a match
  24. pop — soda

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