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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: spell · kick · cap · chair · bass · capital · rock · bark

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. cap — a hat
  3. spell — a short time
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. capital — a city
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. rock — a stone
  12. kick — in football
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bark — to shout
  15. spell — letters
  16. capital — money
  17. bass — low music
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. spell — magic
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. rock — music
  24. cap — a lid

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