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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: ground · pass · capital · kick · pit · mate · rule · spring

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pit — a hole
  3. ground — a position
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. mate — a partner
  9. pit — in a race
  10. mate — to breed
  11. spring — a coil
  12. kick — in football
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. spring — of water
  15. capital — a city
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. ground — the earth
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. mate — a friend
  20. rule — government
  21. spring — the season
  22. rule — a law
  23. capital — money
  24. ground — crushed

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