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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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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: wind · suit · march · capital · ruler · chest · squash · file

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. capital — money
  4. march — the month
  5. squash — the sport
  6. chest — a box
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. suit — to fit
  9. wind — moving air
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a tool
  12. suit — in cards
  13. suit — clothes
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. march — the month
  17. capital — a city
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. march — music
  22. file — a document
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. squash — to crush

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