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

Word bank: rule · bank · capital · race · plane · bat

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. plane — a tool
  3. capital — a city
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. race — the arms race
  6. bank — for money
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. rule — a law
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. race — a contest
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bank — of a river
  17. race — humankind
  18. bank — for money

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