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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · kick · pop · land · mine · club · mouse · dip

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. club — for golf
  3. capital — money
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pop — to visit
  9. dip — to sink
  10. land — ground
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. mine — for digging
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — soda
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. kick — in football
  19. club — for dancing
  20. land — a country
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. capital — a city
  23. club — a group
  24. land — to come down

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