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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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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: race · capital · mate · patient · saw · file · ruler · pitch

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. saw — the tool
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. race — a contest
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. saw — the tool
  7. race — humankind
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. race — the arms race
  11. file — a document
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a friend
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. capital — money
  19. pitch — completely
  20. file — a line of people
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. file — a tool
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. capital — a city

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