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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: wind · court · capital · rash · last · ruler

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. last — final
  6. rash — a series
  7. court — of a king
  8. wind — moving air
  9. capital — a city
  10. rash — hasty
  11. capital — money
  12. last — to go on
  13. court — for sport
  14. last — finally
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. court — of law
  18. wind — moving air

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