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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: calf · rash · saw · bark · mate · rule · capital · season

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — a friend
  4. capital — a city
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. rule — a law
  7. season — of the year
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. rule — government
  11. mate — to breed
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. capital — money
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bark — to shout
  22. season — in sport
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. bark — of a tree

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