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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: dip · fall · rule · leaves · arm · ground · chair · capital

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — a law
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. capital — a city
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. fall — to drop
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. ground — the earth
  11. chair — a leader
  12. ground — a position
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. fall — to drop
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. dip — to sink
  18. ground — crushed
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. capital — money
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. fall — the season

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