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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
468
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: chair · capital · kid · ground · rush · fan · ruler · fine

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. ground — the earth
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. capital — money
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. rush — hurry
  7. fine — all right
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. fine — high quality
  11. capital — a city
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. chair — a leader
  21. ground — a position
  22. kid — to tease
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. ruler — a monarch

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