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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 124 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: capital · ruler · mouse · land · lean · temple · pop · game

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. capital — money
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. pop — music
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. land — ground
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. land — to come down
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. capital — a city
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. game — a match
  18. land — a country
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. lean — to bend
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — soda
  23. game — wild animals
  24. temple — side of the head

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