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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. capital — a city
  6. prune — to trim
  7. face — to confront
  8. kid — child
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — a weight
  13. face — part of the head
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. wound — an injury
  16. face — to point toward
  17. capital — money
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. wound — an injury
  20. last — finally
  21. kid — to tease
  22. last — final
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. last — to go on

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