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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: bulb · plane · capital · rush · rule · chair · roll · file

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. roll — a cake
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a city
  6. bulb — for light
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. file — a line of people
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. rush — hurry
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. chair — a leader
  15. bulb — for light
  16. plane — a tool
  17. rule — government
  18. file — a document
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. file — a tool
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. roll — a list
  24. rule — a law

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