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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: cell · ground · leaves · firm · capital · march · rule · pop

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. ground — crushed
  5. rule — government
  6. firm — steady
  7. pop — soda
  8. capital — money
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. capital — a city
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. march — music
  13. cell — a phone
  14. ground — the earth
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. march — the month
  17. firm — decided
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. firm — a company
  20. march — the month
  21. ground — a position
  22. cell — in biology
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. pop — to visit

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