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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: capital · bowl · lean · rule · track · kick

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. track — a path
  3. track — a song
  4. kick — in football
  5. capital — money
  6. rule — government
  7. track — to keep track
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. capital — a city
  10. lean — thin
  11. rule — a law
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. lean — to bend
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. lean — to rest against

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