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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. content — the amount
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. land — ground
  7. pass — a permit
  8. capital — a city
  9. content — happy
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. land — to come down
  16. mug — a face
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mug — a cup
  19. capital — money
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. land — a country
  24. content — videos and posts

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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