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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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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. cell — a phone
  7. capital — a city
  8. last — finally
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. suit — to fit
  11. suit — clothes
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. last — final
  18. rush — hurry
  19. sharp — clever
  20. suit — in cards
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. cell — in biology
  23. last — to go on
  24. ruler — for measuring

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