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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: field · mark · ruler · tear · date · ball · sharp · capital

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. tear — to rip
  3. ball — a great time
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. date — the fruit
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — clever
  10. capital — a city
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. mark — a grade
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. ball — a dance
  17. field — for sport
  18. tear — from crying
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. field — a subject
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. mark — a trace
  23. tear — from crying
  24. field — farmland

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