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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · kid · kick · date · game · mate · net · current

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. 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. mate — to breed
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — money
  7. mate — a partner
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. current — happening now
  10. date — the fruit
  11. net — in sport
  12. mate — a friend
  13. current — of water
  14. current — electric
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — child
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — after costs
  20. kick — in football
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a match
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. 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