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

Word bank: kick · pass · nail · bowl · capital · march

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. 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. kick — in football
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. march — the month
  4. pass — a permit
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. march — the month
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. march — music
  10. capital — a city
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. 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