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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: lie · ruler · lash · drill · rule · ball · spring · capital

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. capital — money
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. spring — a coil
  5. drill — army training
  6. rule — government
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. capital — a city
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. spring — the season
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. rule — a law
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. drill — the tool
  16. ball — a dance
  17. drill — a practice
  18. spring — of water
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. ruler — for measuring

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