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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. ball — a dance
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. fork — in a road
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. capital — money
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. ball — a great time
  18. wake — a trail
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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