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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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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: pop · cap · jam · pitcher · fall · file · ruler · land

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. pop — to visit
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. pop — music
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. file — a document
  7. land — a country
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. fall — to drop
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. cap — a lid
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. land — ground
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. file — a line of people
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. pop — soda
  19. cap — a hat
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — the season
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. file — a tool
  24. cap — of ice

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