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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. craft — boats
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. craft — a skill
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. file — a tool
  11. row — to paddle
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. pitch — completely
  14. capital — a city
  15. file — a document
  16. file — a line of people
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. row — a line
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. capital — money

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