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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: pass · capital · foot · chair · spring · rule

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  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. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. spring — the season
  5. pass — a permit
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — a coil
  8. foot — a measure
  9. capital — money
  10. rule — government
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. rule — a law
  13. capital — a city
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. chair — a leader
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. rule — to rule out
  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