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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. cap — a hat
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. suit — to fit
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. tube — the underground
  9. lie — to recline
  10. tube — a container
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. cue — a hint
  14. file — a document
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cue — for pool
  18. suit — in cards
  19. capital — a city
  20. suit — clothes
  21. capital — money
  22. cap — of ice
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. file — a line of people

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