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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. land — ground
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. stock — shares
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. plane — a tool
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. fork — in a road
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. land — a country
  18. land — to come down
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — money
  23. stock — goods
  24. fork — to eat with

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