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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · wound · capital · ruler · cap · season · stand · court

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. cap — of ice
  3. capital — money
  4. season — in sport
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — in cards
  7. stand — to bear
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cap — a hat
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. wound — an injury
  14. season — of the year
  15. cap — a lid
  16. court — of law
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. court — of a king
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — a city
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. court — for sport

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