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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 120 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 · bass · capital · ruler · kid · lean

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. capital — a city
  4. bass — the fish
  5. lean — thin
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. capital — money
  9. lean — to bend
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. kick — in football
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. kid — child
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. kid — to tease
  18. kick — with a leg

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