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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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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: net · chair · kick · hand · spring · capital · roll · rock

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. kick — in football
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. roll — a list
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — a coil
  14. rock — music
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. roll — a cake
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. capital — money
  22. hand — help
  23. spring — the season
  24. net — for catching

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