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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 120 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: bound · fork · foot · ruler · drill · sharp · capital · stock

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. drill — army training
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. drill — a practice
  8. capital — money
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. stock — shares
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bound — obliged
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. capital — a city
  22. stock — goods
  23. bound — certain
  24. ruler — for measuring

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