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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. kick — in football
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. fall — to drop
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. degree — from a university
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. fall — to drop
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. ball — a great time
  13. degree — an amount
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. capital — a city
  16. chip — to eat
  17. ball — a dance
  18. degree — temperature
  19. rush — hurry
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. chip — for betting
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. fall — the season

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