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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: capital · sharp · object · rush · craft · pitch · mark · file

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. file — a tool
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. craft — boats
  7. object — a thing
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. file — a line of people
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. craft — a skill
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. object — to protest
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. rush — hurry
  17. mark — a grade
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. pitch — completely
  20. capital — money
  21. file — a document
  22. object — an aim
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. capital — a city

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