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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 120 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: ball · capital · snap · temple · ruler · perch · game · bat

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. game — a match
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ball — a great time
  7. capital — money
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. ball — a dance
  15. capital — a city
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bat — the animal
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. snap — to click
  22. perch — the fish
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. ball — a round shape

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