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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: hand · capital · lean · suit · pitcher · safe · march · file

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. file — a document
  4. capital — money
  5. hand — help
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. file — a tool
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. suit — to fit
  11. lean — to bend
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. file — a line of people
  15. suit — clothes
  16. lean — thin
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. hand — in cards
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. capital — a city
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. march — 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