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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 116 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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. stand — to bear
  7. capital — money
  8. scale — in music
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. scale — size or range
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. capital — a city
  13. wound — an injury
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — a committee
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. board — to get on
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. wound — an injury
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. bat — the animal

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