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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: pitcher · mug · leaves · file · fan · pitch · rock · capital

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. mug — a face
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. file — a line of people
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. mug — a cup
  12. file — a tool
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. mug — to rob
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. file — a document
  20. pitch — completely
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a city
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rock — a stone

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