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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: fine · wake · capital · file · pitcher · pit · rule · pop

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. rule — a law
  3. pop — soda
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — a city
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. rule — government
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. capital — money
  13. file — a document
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. file — a tool
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pop — music
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fine — all right
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. file — a line of people
  24. pop — to visit

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