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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. mark — a grade
  3. rule — a law
  4. fall — to drop
  5. court — of a king
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. pass — a permit
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. court — for sport
  10. capital — a city
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — the season
  16. rule — government
  17. rush — hurry
  18. mark — a trace
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. court — of law
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pass — to succeed

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