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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. kid — child
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. charge — in control
  7. capital — money
  8. bound — obliged
  9. content — the amount
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. charge — a price
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. charge — electricity
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. kid — to tease
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bound — certain
  19. capital — a city
  20. land — to come down
  21. bound — tied together
  22. land — ground
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. content — happy

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