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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: rock · dip · rule · straw · hand · mark · capital · suit

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. rock — a stone
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. mark — a trace
  5. rock — music
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — in cards
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. mark — a grade
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. suit — in cards
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — money
  20. rule — a law
  21. suit — to fit
  22. dip — to sink
  23. rule — government
  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