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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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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 · cap · content · fine · bay · lie · chair

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. fine — high quality
  3. cap — of ice
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. fine — all right
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. content — happy
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. content — the amount
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. capital — a city
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. capital — money
  20. chair — a leader
  21. cap — a hat
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. chair — a professorship

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