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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. game — a match
  3. capital — money
  4. rest — what's left
  5. capital — a city
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. rest — what's left
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. saw — the tool
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. present — the time now
  13. foot — a measure
  14. game — wild animals
  15. present — there
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. rest — a break
  18. present — a gift
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. saw — the tool

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