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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 ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. capital — money
  4. pop — music
  5. snap — to click
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. pop — to visit
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. race — humankind
  15. sharp — clever
  16. capital — a city
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — a trace
  20. race — a contest
  21. pop — soda
  22. race — the arms race
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a great time

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