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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: lean · capital · sharp · roll · file · pitch · hide · mine

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. file — a line of people
  4. pitch — completely
  5. roll — a list
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. capital — a city
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — to bend
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. file — a tool
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. roll — a cake
  18. lean — thin
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. sharp — clever
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. capital — money

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