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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: rest · suit · last · rule · march · mine · mark · fall

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  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. suit — to fit
  2. suit — in cards
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. last — to go on
  5. rule — government
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. last — finally
  9. march — the month
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mark — a grade
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. march — music
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. suit — clothes
  19. rule — a law
  20. last — final
  21. mark — a trace
  22. fall — to drop
  23. march — the month
  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