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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 120 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: rash · capital · rule · patient · march · temple · court · cell

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. rash — a series
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. cell — in biology
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. rule — government
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. court — of law
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. rule — a law
  17. march — music
  18. rash — hasty
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of a king
  24. capital — a city

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