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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. capital — a city
  3. chest — of your body
  4. current — of water
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. current — happening now
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. snap — to click
  10. current — electric
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. toast — bread
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. chest — a box
  15. cap — a hat
  16. capital — money
  17. cap — a lid
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. cap — of ice
  20. bat — the animal
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. chest — of your body
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. ruler — a monarch

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