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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: sharp · roll · club · hand · capital · suit · date · rule

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. sharp — clever
  3. club — for golf
  4. hand — in cards
  5. rule — government
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. club — for dancing
  11. suit — in cards
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. rule — a law
  14. capital — a city
  15. roll — a cake
  16. date — the fruit
  17. club — a group
  18. capital — money
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. roll — a list
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. suit — clothes
  24. suit — to fit

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