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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: net · capital · race · foot · kid · mine · rule · jam

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rule — government
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. net — for catching
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. capital — money
  12. kid — to tease
  13. race — a contest
  14. capital — a city
  15. kid — child
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. net — after costs
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — the arms race
  22. rule — a law
  23. foot — a measure
  24. net — in sport

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