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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 120 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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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: rule · track · suit · last · press · cap · land · club

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. rule — a law
  3. track — a song
  4. track — a path
  5. club — a group
  6. press — newspapers
  7. cap — a lid
  8. land — ground
  9. club — for dancing
  10. suit — to fit
  11. suit — clothes
  12. press — to push
  13. cap — a hat
  14. club — for golf
  15. suit — in cards
  16. last — finally
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — a country
  19. cap — of ice
  20. last — to go on
  21. track — to keep track
  22. rule — government
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. press — a publisher

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