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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: file · rest · capital · tube · pitcher · kid · season · cap

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. capital — money
  3. file — a document
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — what's left
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a hat
  9. file — a tool
  10. kid — child
  11. season — of the year
  12. file — a line of people
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. tube — a container
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. kid — to tease
  17. cap — a lid
  18. rest — a break
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — the underground
  23. capital — a city
  24. season — in sport

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