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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. capital — a city
  3. kick — in football
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. capital — money
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pass — a permit
  9. cell — a phone
  10. land — ground
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. net — after costs
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. land — a country
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. kid — to tease
  20. land — to come down
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — in sport
  24. kid — child

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