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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: rush · charge · capital · foot · rule · rash · court · perch

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. charge — electricity
  3. rule — government
  4. perch — the fish
  5. foot — a measure
  6. rush — hurry
  7. court — of a king
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. court — for sport
  10. rash — a series
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. charge — in control
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rule — a law
  17. charge — a price
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. capital — a city
  22. rash — hasty
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. court — of law

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