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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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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: arm · cabinet · kick · rule · fine · capital · drill · spring

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. fine — high quality
  4. capital — money
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. kick — in football
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — the tool
  16. capital — a city
  17. rule — a law
  18. rule — government
  19. fine — all right
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — 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