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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.

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 · land · wound · rest · bound · racket · current

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. rest — what's left
  3. wound — an injury
  4. current — of water
  5. bound — obliged
  6. current — happening now
  7. rest — what's left
  8. capital — a city
  9. bound — tied together
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. land — to come down
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. capital — money
  14. current — electric
  15. bound — certain
  16. wound — an injury
  17. land — ground
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. land — a country
  20. rest — a break
  21. kick — in football
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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