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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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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: capital · stand · rule · rash · club · pit · chest · roll

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  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. club — for dancing
  2. capital — a city
  3. rash — a series
  4. roll — a list
  5. chest — of your body
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. chest — a box
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. pit — in a race
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. capital — money
  13. rash — hasty
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. rule — government
  16. pit — a hole
  17. chest — of your body
  18. club — a group
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — to bear
  21. rule — a law
  22. club — for golf
  23. roll — a cake
  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