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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — money
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. file — a document
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. bank — for money
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bank — of a river
  10. file — a line of people
  11. capital — a city
  12. file — a tool
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bank — for money
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pass — a permit
  18. roll — a cake
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. roll — a list
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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