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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.

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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: band · file · capital · cap · temple · pass · bowl · pitcher

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a document
  3. capital — money
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. cap — a hat
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. capital — a city
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. cap — a lid
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. band — a ring
  19. file — a tool
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. cap — of ice
  23. band — a music group
  24. bowl — to roll

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