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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 116 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 · sharp · cell · mine · ruler · fall · board · pit

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. sharp — clever
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. fall — the season
  8. pit — a hole
  9. board — a committee
  10. pit — in a race
  11. cell — in biology
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cell — a phone
  15. board — to get on
  16. capital — money
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. mine — for digging
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. fall — to drop
  23. cell — in a prison
  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