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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. kick — in football
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. capital — a city
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. pound — a weight
  12. track — a path
  13. track — a song
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — clever
  17. track — to keep track
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. row — to paddle
  20. row — a line
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. pound — for dogs

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