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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 120 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 · fan · rock · row · mark · kick · staff · bat

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. capital — money
  4. row — a line
  5. row — to paddle
  6. staff — employees
  7. rock — music
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. mark — a grade
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bat — the animal
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. capital — a city
  19. kick — in football
  20. rock — a stone
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. staff — employees
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. capital — a big letter

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