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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: capital · rule · stick · drill · face · calf · fork · suit

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. suit — to fit
  3. suit — in cards
  4. fork — in a road
  5. rule — a law
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. drill — army training
  9. face — to confront
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. face — part of the head
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. drill — a practice
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. face — to point toward
  21. capital — money
  22. suit — clothes
  23. drill — the tool
  24. capital — a city

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