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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: suit · rest · pitch · wake · object · cap · roll · file

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. file — a tool
  3. rest — a break
  4. object — an aim
  5. cap — of ice
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. cap — a lid
  9. roll — a cake
  10. suit — clothes
  11. file — a document
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pitch — completely
  14. object — a thing
  15. object — to protest
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. wake — a trail
  18. suit — to fit
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. rest — what's left
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. file — a line of people
  23. suit — in cards
  24. roll — a list

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