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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: can · leaves · pitcher · wind · kid · capital · file · scale

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. scale — in music
  4. can — a tin
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. scale — size or range
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — child
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. capital — a city
  16. wind — moving air
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. capital — money
  19. file — a document
  20. wind — moving air
  21. can — to be able to
  22. file — a tool
  23. can — a tin
  24. leaves — to go away

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