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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 120 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 · racket · net · pit · calf · wind · pass · file

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pass — a permit
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. net — for catching
  9. capital — a city
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. file — a line of people
  12. wind — moving air
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. net — in sport
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. capital — money
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. net — after costs
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. file — a document

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