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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 · last · drill · racket · ruler · calf

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. last — final
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. drill — the tool
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. capital — money
  11. drill — a practice
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. drill — army training
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. capital — a city
  18. last — to go on

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