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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: file · capital · bat · firm · leaves · can · kick · lie

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. can — to be able to
  3. capital — money
  4. bat — the animal
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. file — a line of people
  8. can — a tin
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. kick — in football
  12. can — a tin
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. firm — decided
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. firm — a company
  18. file — a tool
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. lie — to recline
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. file — a document

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