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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 120 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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. suit — clothes
  3. capital — money
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. suit — to fit
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. drill — the tool
  8. file — a tool
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. drill — army training
  11. capital — a city
  12. spring — the season
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. hand — help
  18. spring — a coil
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. suit — in cards
  21. spring — of water
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. file — a document
  24. hand — in cards

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