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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: scale · rule · capital · chair · fine · bulb · file · pitcher

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. file — a tool
  4. bulb — for light
  5. capital — a city
  6. rule — a law
  7. bulb — for light
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. scale — size or range
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. chair — a leader
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. file — a line of people
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. file — a document
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. rule — government
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — high quality
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — in music
  24. capital — money

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