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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 120 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: saw · capital · club · rush · rule · ball · cold · lean

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a dance
  4. lean — thin
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — an illness
  8. saw — the tool
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. rule — government
  13. capital — money
  14. lean — to bend
  15. club — for golf
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. capital — a city
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rush — hurry
  21. club — for dancing
  22. rule — a law
  23. club — a group
  24. cold — not warm

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