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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: capital · ruler · pit · band · hide · fine

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a hole
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. capital — a city
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. fine — high quality
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. capital — money
  18. fine — all right

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