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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: can · file · key · last · pitch · club · capital · tear

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. tear — from crying
  3. can — a tin
  4. tear — from crying
  5. club — a group
  6. can — a tin
  7. key — for a lock
  8. file — a document
  9. club — for golf
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. last — to go on
  12. capital — money
  13. can — to be able to
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. last — final
  16. capital — a city
  17. key — the most important part
  18. pitch — completely
  19. tear — to rip
  20. club — for dancing
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. last — finally
  23. key — in music
  24. file — a line of people

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