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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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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. capital — money
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. board — a committee
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. capital — a city
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. court — for sport
  13. board — to get on
  14. wake — a trail
  15. court — of law
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. branch — a division
  18. court — of a king
  19. snap — to click
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. branch — of a tree

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