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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.

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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: file · content · bank · capital · rash · kick · nail · march

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. rash — a series
  3. capital — money
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. content — the amount
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. capital — a city
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bank — for money
  12. march — the month
  13. content — happy
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. file — a line of people
  17. kick — in football
  18. march — music
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. march — the month
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a tool
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. capital — a big letter

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