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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 116 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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — a law
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. capital — money
  7. pass — a permit
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. craft — a skill
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. craft — boats
  21. capital — a city
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. wax — to grow
  24. trunk — of a car

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