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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: calf · capital · date · rule · kick · ground

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. ground — crushed
  3. date — the fruit
  4. capital — money
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. kick — in football
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rule — a law
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — a position
  18. rule — government

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