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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  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. ruler — for measuring
  2. race — a contest
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. capital — a city
  6. court — of law
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — to tire
  9. court — of a king
  10. scale — size or range
  11. capital — money
  12. race — humankind
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. board — to get on
  17. scale — in music
  18. race — the arms race
  19. court — for sport
  20. spell — magic
  21. spell — a short time
  22. board — a committee
  23. spell — letters
  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