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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: last · drill · rule · band · board · arm · capital · staff

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. drill — army training
  3. last — finally
  4. staff — employees
  5. rule — a law
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. capital — a city
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. board — to get on
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. last — final
  15. capital — money
  16. board — a committee
  17. drill — the tool
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a music group
  22. drill — a practice
  23. rule — government
  24. capital — a big letter

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