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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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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: tear · last · ruler · capital · jam · fine

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. tear — to rip
  3. last — to go on
  4. fine — high quality
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. last — final
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. tear — from crying
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. tear — from crying
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. fine — all right
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — money

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