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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: file · capital · lie · perch · firm · mate · rest · fine

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. capital — a city
  3. fine — all right
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. firm — a company
  6. rest — what's left
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. rest — a break
  9. file — a tool
  10. firm — decided
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mate — to breed
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a document
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. fine — high quality
  18. perch — the fish
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. capital — money
  21. firm — steady
  22. rest — what's left
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. mate — a friend

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