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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: saw · ground · kick · capital · hand · lean · pit · file

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. pit — in a race
  4. ground — crushed
  5. hand — in cards
  6. capital — money
  7. ground — the earth
  8. capital — a city
  9. lean — thin
  10. kick — in football
  11. saw — the tool
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. file — a tool
  14. ground — a position
  15. saw — the tool
  16. hand — help
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. pit — a hole
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. file — a document
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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