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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. capital — a city
  3. rush — hurry
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. rock — music
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. kick — in football
  11. rock — a stone
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. board — a committee
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — to get on
  24. capital — money

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