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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: capital · file · object · rule · wind · pitch

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. file — a tool
  4. object — a thing
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. object — to protest
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. capital — money
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. rule — government
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a line of people
  14. rule — a law
  15. capital — a city
  16. pitch — completely
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. wind — moving air

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