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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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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: capital · stand · mark · pop · lean · sharp · file · net

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a grade
  4. file — a line of people
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. lean — thin
  7. net — in sport
  8. sharp — clever
  9. net — for catching
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. capital — money
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. pop — to visit
  15. capital — a city
  16. pop — soda
  17. net — after costs
  18. file — a document
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. file — a tool
  22. mark — a trace
  23. lean — to bend
  24. pop — music

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