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

Word bank: ruler · bat · cue · shower · chair · capital

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. cue — for pool
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. shower — to wash
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. capital — a city
  14. cue — a hint
  15. capital — money
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — the animal

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