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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 120 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 · degree · cue · file · fall · capital

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. degree — from a university
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. file — a line of people
  5. cue — for pool
  6. capital — a city
  7. degree — temperature
  8. file — a tool
  9. cue — a signal
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. cue — a hint
  12. degree — an amount
  13. fall — to drop
  14. file — a document
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. fall — the season
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. fall — to drop

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