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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.

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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: temple · press · court · lean · capital · pit · hand · ruler

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. capital — a city
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. court — of law
  6. press — a publisher
  7. court — for sport
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. capital — money
  11. lean — thin
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. pit — in a race
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. hand — help
  16. lean — to bend
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. press — to push
  19. court — of a king
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. hand — in cards
  22. press — newspapers
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. pit — a hole

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