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

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. net — for catching
  3. kick — in football
  4. net — in sport
  5. cue — a hint
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — a city
  8. charge — electricity
  9. wound — an injury
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. charge — in control
  13. cue — for pool
  14. charge — a price
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — child
  17. rest — a break
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. net — after costs
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. capital — money
  24. cue — a signal

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