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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: net · rule · date · bound · capital · rash · last · lie

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — final
  3. date — the fruit
  4. lie — to recline
  5. bound — obliged
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. last — to go on
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. rule — government
  11. net — after costs
  12. rash — hasty
  13. net — for catching
  14. rash — a series
  15. capital — money
  16. net — in sport
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. bound — certain
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. rule — a law
  22. capital — a city
  23. bound — tied together
  24. rash — on the skin

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