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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 120 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: ground · wax · ruler · net · ball · file · capital · chair

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. capital — a city
  3. wax — to grow
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. file — a document
  8. ground — the earth
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. file — a line of people
  11. ground — crushed
  12. capital — money
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ground — a position
  16. chair — a leader
  17. ball — a great time
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. net — for catching
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — after costs
  23. file — a tool
  24. ruler — a monarch

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