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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. lean — thin
  5. roll — a list
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. wake — a trail
  8. track — to keep track
  9. present — there
  10. present — the time now
  11. track — a path
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. capital — a city
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. present — a gift
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. roll — a cake
  18. lean — to bend
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. cold — an illness
  21. track — a song
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — not warm
  24. lean — to rest against

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