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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 120 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: temple · scale · capital · file · pit · shower · deal · mug

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. shower — to wash
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. capital — money
  5. mug — a face
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. file — a tool
  8. capital — a city
  9. file — a document
  10. deal — to handle
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pit — in a race
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. scale — in music
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. mug — a cup
  19. scale — size or range
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. shower — rain
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. file — a line of people
  24. deal — a big deal

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