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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. pit — a hole
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. suit — in cards
  6. staff — a stick
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rule — government
  9. rest — what's left
  10. land — to come down
  11. staff — employees
  12. suit — to fit
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. suit — clothes
  15. staff — employees
  16. land — a country
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. rule — a law
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. capital — money
  21. pit — in a race
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. land — ground
  24. rest — a break

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