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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 · spring · rule · cold · object · racket · firm · mark

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. firm — decided
  3. cold — an illness
  4. firm — a company
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. object — a thing
  8. rule — a law
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. firm — steady
  13. spring — the season
  14. object — an aim
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. spring — of water
  18. mark — a grade
  19. object — to protest
  20. mark — a trace
  21. cold — not warm
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — money
  24. spring — a coil

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