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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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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: capital · ruler · pitcher · content · rest · nail · tube · straw

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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. content — the amount
  4. rest — what's left
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. tube — a container
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. tube — the underground
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. content — happy
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. capital — money
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rest — a break
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. capital — a city
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. rest — what's left
  24. nail — for a hammer

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