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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: ruler · drill · capital · date · straw · fan · kick · cap

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. capital — money
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. drill — army training
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. cap — a hat
  9. kick — in football
  10. capital — a city
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cap — of ice
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. date — the fruit
  20. cap — a lid
  21. drill — a practice
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. drill — the tool
  24. straw — a straw man

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