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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. suit — in cards
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. capital — a city
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. date — the fruit
  9. stand — to bear
  10. degree — from a university
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. kick — in football
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — to get on
  16. degree — an amount
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. suit — clothes
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. degree — temperature
  21. wake — a trail
  22. capital — money
  23. suit — to fit
  24. stand — for spectators

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