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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: ruler · rash · board · stem · capital · court · deal · kick

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. court — of law
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — a series
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. capital — a city
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. court — of a king
  13. kick — in football
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. deal — to handle
  16. court — for sport
  17. capital — money
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. stem — to come from
  21. board — a committee
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. board — to get on

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