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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: lie · root · rule · chair · saw · temple · capital · hand

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. hand — in cards
  3. root — of a word
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — money
  6. rule — a law
  7. saw — the tool
  8. root — of a plant
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. chair — a leader
  11. lie — to recline
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. hand — help
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. root — the cause
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. temple — side of the head

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