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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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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: capital · tear · file · cue · mouse · date · pit · mark

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. cue — a hint
  4. tear — to rip
  5. date — the fruit
  6. cue — a signal
  7. pit — a hole
  8. capital — money
  9. file — a document
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. cue — for pool
  12. file — a line of people
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — a city
  16. mark — a grade
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. tear — from crying
  19. mark — a trace
  20. tear — from crying
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. file — a tool
  23. pit — in a race
  24. mark — to pay attention

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