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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. suit — clothes
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. capital — a city
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. spring — a coil
  12. kick — in football
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. suit — in cards
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. capital — money
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. dip — to sink
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. last — final
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — finally

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