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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: tube · capital · arm · rush · game · fall · file · net

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. file — a tool
  5. capital — a city
  6. fall — the season
  7. capital — money
  8. tube — a container
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. file — a document
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. game — a match
  13. fall — to drop
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. tube — the underground
  16. fall — to drop
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. net — for catching
  19. file — a line of people
  20. net — after costs
  21. game — wild animals
  22. rush — hurry
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. capital — a big letter

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