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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. track — a song
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. bound — obliged
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. drill — army training
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. bound — certain
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. bound — tied together
  12. capital — a city
  13. drill — a practice
  14. capital — money
  15. drill — the tool
  16. tube — the underground
  17. track — a path
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. dip — to sink
  21. track — to keep track
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. capital — a big letter

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