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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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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. can — a tin
  4. file — a line of people
  5. capital — money
  6. file — a document
  7. game — wild animals
  8. can — a tin
  9. stand — to bear
  10. present — a gift
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. clip — for paper
  13. capital — a city
  14. present — the time now
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. clip — a video
  20. clip — to cut
  21. game — a match
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. present — there
  24. can — to be able to

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