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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 · scale · dip · kick · ruler · mine · last · pop

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. scale — size or range
  3. last — to go on
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. last — final
  7. capital — money
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. dip — to sink
  10. kick — in football
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. pop — soda
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. mine — for digging
  18. pop — to visit
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. pop — music
  23. last — finally
  24. capital — a city

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