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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 · kick · mine · ground · firm · capital · rush · pit

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. mine — for digging
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. capital — a city
  6. ground — crushed
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. ground — a position
  9. kick — in football
  10. firm — decided
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. pit — a hole
  14. firm — a company
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. pit — in a race
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. firm — steady
  19. rule — a law
  20. capital — money
  21. rule — government
  22. ground — the earth
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. mine — belonging to me

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