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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: foot · rash · mark · wind · fine · capital · rule · row

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. capital — money
  4. fine — all right
  5. foot — a measure
  6. rule — government
  7. capital — a city
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. row — a line
  11. wind — moving air
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. rash — hasty
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — a trace
  17. fine — high quality
  18. row — to paddle
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rash — a series
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. rule — a law
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. foot — part of the body

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