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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 · wind · leaves · roll · foot · jam · pit · rule

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. pit — in a race
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. wind — moving air
  7. rule — government
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. roll — a cake
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — money
  13. roll — a list
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. rule — a law
  20. wind — moving air
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. foot — a measure
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. pit — a hole

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