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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: pass · file · rash · cap · capital · mate · last · deal

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. mate — a friend
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. cap — a hat
  5. mate — to breed
  6. capital — a city
  7. file — a document
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. deal — to handle
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — final
  14. file — a line of people
  15. rash — hasty
  16. mate — a partner
  17. cap — a lid
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pass — a permit
  21. cap — of ice
  22. last — finally
  23. capital — money
  24. file — a tool

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