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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: capital · cell · ruler · kick · last · pound · chest · fine

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. last — to go on
  4. kick — in football
  5. capital — a city
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. fine — all right
  10. cell — a phone
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. cell — in biology
  15. chest — of your body
  16. last — final
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. pound — a weight
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. last — finally
  22. capital — money
  23. fine — high quality
  24. chest — of your body

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