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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: rush · capital · rule · roll · mark · club · wound · staff

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  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. roll — a cake
  2. club — for golf
  3. staff — employees
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. wound — an injury
  7. roll — a list
  8. club — a group
  9. mark — a grade
  10. capital — money
  11. club — for dancing
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. mark — a trace
  17. rule — a law
  18. staff — employees
  19. wound — an injury
  20. capital — a city
  21. staff — a stick
  22. rush — hurry
  23. mark — to pay attention
  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