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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  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 — for measuring
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. rock — music
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. ground — a position
  7. rule — a law
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. wind — moving air
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. ground — crushed
  17. rule — government
  18. rock — a stone
  19. capital — money
  20. wind — moving air
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. capital — a city
  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