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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: fall · march · rule · mark · kick · capital · drill · fine

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. kick — in football
  3. fine — high quality
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — army training
  6. mark — a trace
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. march — the month
  9. capital — a city
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. rule — a law
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fall — the season
  15. mark — a grade
  16. march — music
  17. capital — money
  18. fall — to drop
  19. march — the month
  20. fine — all right
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. drill — a practice
  24. rule — government

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