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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — money
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. track — to keep track
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bound — tied together
  8. last — final
  9. spell — magic
  10. last — finally
  11. track — a song
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. spell — letters
  14. last — to go on
  15. bound — certain
  16. suit — to fit
  17. suit — in cards
  18. suit — clothes
  19. track — a path
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bound — obliged
  23. spell — a short time
  24. capital — a city

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