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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.

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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: straw · charge · pit · ruler · capital · ball · rash · wave

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. capital — a city
  4. ball — a great time
  5. pit — a hole
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. ball — a dance
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. charge — electricity
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. charge — in control
  15. charge — a price
  16. rash — a series
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. pit — in a race
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. rash — hasty
  24. ruler — for measuring

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