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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: cabinet · leaves · file · pitcher · chair · capital · pop · nail

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. file — a line of people
  5. chair — a leader
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. pop — music
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. file — a document
  17. pop — soda
  18. file — a tool
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. pop — to visit
  24. nail — on a finger

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