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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: march · capital · pound · mug · rule · swing

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. mug — to rob
  3. capital — a city
  4. pound — a weight
  5. mug — a face
  6. rule — government
  7. march — music
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — music
  10. march — the month
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. mug — a cup
  13. capital — money
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. march — the month
  16. swing — in golf
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. rule — a law

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