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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.

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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: scale · ground · bound · capital · game · tube · ruler · stick

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. scale — in music
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bound — tied together
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. scale — size or range
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — certain
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. capital — money
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. game — a match
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. ground — a position
  22. game — wild animals
  23. tube — a container
  24. tube — the underground

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