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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: rock · stand · cold · capital · cell · nail · row · ruler

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — not warm
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. capital — a city
  9. row — a line
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. rock — a stone
  12. cell — in biology
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. cold — an illness
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. stand — to bear
  18. cell — a phone
  19. row — to paddle
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. rock — music
  24. rock — to move gently

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