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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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468
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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. capital — a city
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. plane — a tool
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. capital — money
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. craft — boats
  11. degree — temperature
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. degree — an amount
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. kid — child
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. degree — from a university
  20. craft — a skill
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kid — to tease

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