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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 · rush · bat · net · ruler · track · bark · roll

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. track — a path
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bat — the animal
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. net — for catching
  9. roll — a list
  10. capital — a city
  11. roll — a cake
  12. track — a song
  13. rush — hurry
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. track — to keep track
  18. net — in sport
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. net — after costs
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. capital — money

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