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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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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 · stand · land · rush · temple · rule

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rule — government
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. rule — a law
  8. land — ground
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. land — to come down
  12. capital — money
  13. rush — hurry
  14. stand — to bear
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. land — a country
  18. capital — a big letter

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