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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. kick — in football
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. net — for catching
  10. hand — in cards
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. ball — a great time
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. net — in sport
  17. ball — a dance
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. net — after costs
  22. date — the fruit
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. hand — help

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