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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. file — a line of people
  5. mark — a trace
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. rash — a series
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. wound — an injury
  10. firm — steady
  11. kick — in football
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. firm — a company
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. wound — an injury
  18. firm — decided
  19. file — a document
  20. mark — a grade
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — a city
  24. file — a tool

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