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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: cabinet · capital · sharp · file · row · ball · ruler · bound

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. ball — a great time
  3. row — a line
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a city
  6. sharp — clever
  7. file — a tool
  8. bound — certain
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. row — to paddle
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. file — a document
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. file — a line of people
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bound — obliged
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. ball — a dance
  23. bound — tied together
  24. capital — a big letter

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