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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 ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. clip — for paper
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. rock — music
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. rock — a stone
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bat — the animal
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. capital — money
  17. capital — a city
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. clip — a video
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. chair — a leader

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