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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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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: ruler · capital · cap · ground · wake · firm

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. firm — decided
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. cap — a lid
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. cap — of ice
  8. capital — money
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. ground — the earth
  11. cap — a hat
  12. capital — a city
  13. ground — a position
  14. firm — a company
  15. ground — crushed
  16. wake — a trail
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. ruler — for measuring

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