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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: capital · mate · suit · last · mark · bound · scale · rule

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. last — final
  3. rule — government
  4. rule — a law
  5. last — to go on
  6. capital — money
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — obliged
  9. scale — size or range
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mark — a trace
  12. suit — clothes
  13. suit — in cards
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mate — a partner
  16. scale — in music
  17. last — finally
  18. mate — a friend
  19. suit — to fit
  20. bound — tied together
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. capital — a big letter
  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