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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: content · land · firm · capital · ruler · suit · trunk · row

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. capital — a city
  3. land — to come down
  4. suit — clothes
  5. content — happy
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. land — ground
  9. suit — in cards
  10. firm — steady
  11. suit — to fit
  12. capital — money
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. firm — decided
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. row — to paddle
  18. content — the amount
  19. firm — a company
  20. land — a country
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. row — a line
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. capital — a big letter

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