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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.

Make a worksheet

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: kick · bass · key · mug · content · face · land · capital

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. face — to confront
  3. mug — a cup
  4. capital — money
  5. content — the amount
  6. mug — a face
  7. key — the most important part
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. content — happy
  11. mug — to rob
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. face — part of the head
  14. bass — low music
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bass — the fish
  17. key — for a lock
  18. land — ground
  19. land — a country
  20. key — in music
  21. kick — in football
  22. land — to come down
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — a city

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