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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: rule · capital · racket · toast · sharp · wind

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — a city
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rule — a law
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. toast — bread
  12. wind — moving air
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. capital — money
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — clever
  18. wind — moving air

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