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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 120 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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. capital — money
  4. plane — a tool
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bound — obliged
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. track — a path
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bound — tied together
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. bound — certain
  17. track — a song
  18. game — a match
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. capital — a city
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. bat — the animal
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. kick — with a leg

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