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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. rest — what's left
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. band — a music group
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. hand — in cards
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. rest — a break
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wound — an injury
  18. hand — help
  19. wound — an injury
  20. capital — money
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. rest — what's left
  24. band — a ring

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