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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. toast — bread
  3. capital — a city
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. tube — a container
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. can — a tin
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. swing — to play on
  13. can — to be able to
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. swing — in golf
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. row — a line
  20. swing — music
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. tube — the underground
  23. can — a tin
  24. row — to paddle

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