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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: fan · pound · rock · present · rule · kick · capital · mate

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rule — government
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. present — the time now
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. capital — a city
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. mate — a friend
  11. present — there
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. pound — a weight
  14. kick — in football
  15. present — a gift
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. mate — a partner
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. rule — a law
  22. rock — a stone
  23. capital — money
  24. mate — to breed

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