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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. board — to get on
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. rush — hurry
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. capital — a city
  8. craft — a skill
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. key — for a lock
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. key — the most important part
  13. degree — an amount
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. board — a committee
  17. degree — from a university
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. degree — temperature
  20. capital — money
  21. craft — boats
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. deal — to handle
  24. key — in music

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