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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — clever
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. cap — a hat
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. capital — a city
  12. charge — electricity
  13. cap — a lid
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. roll — a cake
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. roll — a list
  18. cap — of ice
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. capital — money
  22. charge — in control
  23. mine — for digging
  24. charge — a price

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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