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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: march · mark · fall · fan · track · capital · patient · rule

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — government
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. fall — to drop
  7. track — to keep track
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. track — a path
  15. march — the month
  16. mark — a trace
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. track — a song
  19. march — the month
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fall — the season
  22. capital — a city
  23. mark — a grade
  24. march — music

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