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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: straw · ruler · mug · land · capital · board · pass · perch

  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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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. capital — a big letter
  4. land — to come down
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mug — a face
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. board — to get on
  9. pass — a permit
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. mug — a cup
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. land — ground
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — a committee
  17. capital — money
  18. perch — the fish
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. land — a country
  21. mug — to rob
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. pass — to spend time

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