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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. wound — an injury
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. rock — music
  8. chest — of your body
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. wound — an injury
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. fall — the season
  13. chest — a box
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. chest — of your body
  16. capital — a city
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — to drop
  19. game — a match
  20. game — wild animals
  21. foot — a measure
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. rock — a stone

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