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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 116 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: bat · file · drill · perch · capital · stick · rush · lean

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bat — the animal
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. file — a line of people
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. rush — hurry
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. perch — the fish
  9. capital — money
  10. drill — army training
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. drill — the tool
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. capital — a city
  15. file — a document
  16. lean — to bend
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. drill — a practice
  21. file — a tool
  22. lean — thin
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. lean — to rest against

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