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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 120 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. season — in sport
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. shower — rain
  7. pound — a weight
  8. chest — a box
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. board — a committee
  11. shower — to wash
  12. chest — of your body
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. capital — a city
  18. chest — of your body
  19. board — to get on
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. saw — the tool
  22. kick — in football
  23. saw — the tool
  24. season — of the year

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