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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: row · capital · ruler · band · jam · game · arm · land

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. capital — a city
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. band — a ring
  5. row — a line
  6. land — ground
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. game — a match
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — money
  13. row — to paddle
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. land — a country
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. band — a music group
  20. game — wild animals
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. land — to come down

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