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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 · rule · chair · net · jam · race

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  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. rule — a law
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — for catching
  6. race — a contest
  7. net — in sport
  8. rule — government
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. capital — money
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. race — the arms race
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. race — humankind
  16. chair — a leader
  17. capital — a city
  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