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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: capital · staff · pit · ruler · temple · wind · arm · pass

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. staff — a stick
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. capital — money
  7. pit — a hole
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. staff — employees
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. capital — a city
  17. staff — employees
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. wind — moving air
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. wind — to turn a key

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