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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. capital — a city
  4. rest — what's left
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. court — of law
  8. kick — in football
  9. rest — what's left
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. court — for sport
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. degree — from a university
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. degree — temperature
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. capital — money
  20. degree — an amount
  21. rest — a break
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. court — of a king
  24. kick — a thrill

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