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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. fork — in a road
  3. prune — to trim
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. capital — a city
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. court — of law
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. cap — of ice
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — a lid
  17. kick — in football
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of a king
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. capital — money
  24. prune — to trim

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