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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 second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. field — for sport
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. rule — a law
  5. capital — a city
  6. content — the amount
  7. lean — thin
  8. rule — government
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. band — a music group
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. band — a ring
  14. lean — to bend
  15. dip — to sink
  16. field — farmland
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. content — happy
  23. field — a subject
  24. band — a rubber band

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