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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a city
  4. race — a contest
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. lie — to recline
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. race — humankind
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. stock — shares
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. hand — in cards
  13. stock — goods
  14. chair — a leader
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. race — the arms race
  18. snap — to click
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. hand — help
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — an untruth

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