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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: ruler · capital · calf · bass · lean · board · race · bat

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. race — humankind
  4. board — a committee
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bass — the fish
  12. race — the arms race
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bass — low music
  15. board — to get on
  16. lean — to bend
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. capital — a city
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. lean — thin
  22. capital — money
  23. bat — the animal
  24. race — a contest

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