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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: club · chip · last · mug · ruler · capital · stem · rule

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. stem — to come from
  3. mug — to rob
  4. rule — a law
  5. last — final
  6. last — finally
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. capital — money
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. club — for golf
  13. last — to go on
  14. chip — for betting
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. mug — a face
  17. club — for dancing
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. rule — government
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. mug — a cup
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. chip — to eat
  24. club — a group

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