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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 · hide · stock · ruler · game · track · drill · rash

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. rash — a series
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — wild animals
  7. drill — army training
  8. game — a match
  9. stock — shares
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. track — to keep track
  13. capital — money
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. drill — a practice
  16. stock — goods
  17. capital — a city
  18. track — a path
  19. track — a song
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. drill — the tool
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. rash — hasty

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