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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: rush · file · kick · board · jam · pitcher · capital · field

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. field — farmland
  6. capital — a city
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — in football
  11. capital — money
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a document
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. field — for sport
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — a committee
  18. field — a subject
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. board — to get on
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. rush — hurry
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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