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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: ruler · capital · pitcher · cue · charge · march · kid · trunk

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cue — a signal
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. march — the month
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. cue — a hint
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. charge — in control
  11. capital — money
  12. charge — electricity
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. capital — a city
  16. march — music
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. kid — child
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. charge — a price
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — to tease
  24. cue — for pool

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