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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. court — of a king
  5. capital — a city
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. spell — letters
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. fall — the season
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. court — of law
  16. spell — magic
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. court — for sport
  20. kick — in football
  21. capital — money
  22. fall — to drop
  23. stem — to come from
  24. spell — a short time

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