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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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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: rule · lean · capital · lash · tear · pass · rash · game

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. tear — to rip
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rule — government
  5. rash — hasty
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. lean — to bend
  8. tear — from crying
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. pass — a permit
  12. capital — a city
  13. rash — a series
  14. rule — a law
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. game — a match
  17. game — wild animals
  18. lean — thin
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. tear — from crying
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. capital — money

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