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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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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: hide · deal · date · capital · race · kick · object · fine

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. race — humankind
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. date — the fruit
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. object — a thing
  7. fine — all right
  8. object — an aim
  9. kick — in football
  10. race — the arms race
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. race — a contest
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. deal — to handle
  16. fine — high quality
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — money
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. object — to protest

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