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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
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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: pit · file · capital · rest · cue · game · arm · sharp

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. file — a document
  3. game — wild animals
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. cue — for pool
  6. sharp — clever
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. file — a line of people
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. cue — a hint
  14. rest — a break
  15. pit — a hole
  16. rest — what's left
  17. file — a tool
  18. cue — a signal
  19. game — a match
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — money
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. arm — a part of something

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