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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: cue · track · staff · land · rash · capital · rule · present

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. staff — a stick
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. capital — money
  6. rash — hasty
  7. land — a country
  8. capital — a city
  9. rash — a series
  10. land — ground
  11. present — the time now
  12. cue — a signal
  13. present — a gift
  14. staff — employees
  15. track — a song
  16. staff — employees
  17. track — a path
  18. land — to come down
  19. cue — for pool
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. present — there
  22. track — to keep track
  23. rule — a law
  24. cue — a hint

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