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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: ruler · fine · pass · capital · wind · date

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. fine — all right
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. wind — moving air
  5. fine — high quality
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pass — a permit
  10. date — the fruit
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. capital — money
  14. wind — moving air
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — on the calendar

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