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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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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 · key · chest · cold · capital · stand · bound · drill

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. key — for a lock
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. drill — a practice
  6. bound — certain
  7. key — in music
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. capital — money
  10. chest — of your body
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. chest — a box
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — army training
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bound — tied together
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. key — the most important part
  20. stand — to bear
  21. capital — a city
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cold — not warm
  24. bound — obliged

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