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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. file — a tool
  4. capital — a city
  5. file — a line of people
  6. file — a document
  7. can — a tin
  8. track — to keep track
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. can — a tin
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. track — a song
  14. track — a path
  15. can — to be able to
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — a line
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cold — not warm
  21. rock — a stone
  22. cold — an illness
  23. rock — music
  24. row — to paddle

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