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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: rule · shower · foot · capital · rest · season · lash · scale

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. foot — a measure
  4. shower — to wash
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. rest — what's left
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. rest — what's left
  10. capital — money
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. season — in sport
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. scale — in music
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. rule — a law
  20. capital — a city
  21. shower — rain
  22. rest — a break
  23. scale — size or range
  24. rule — government

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