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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: cap · spell · chip · capital · land · suit · kick · ground

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. kick — in football
  3. suit — in cards
  4. cap — of ice
  5. ground — a position
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. cap — a lid
  8. ground — the earth
  9. spell — letters
  10. suit — clothes
  11. land — to come down
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. spell — a short time
  14. ground — crushed
  15. suit — to fit
  16. chip — to eat
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. chip — for betting
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. cap — a hat
  21. land — a country
  22. spell — magic
  23. land — ground
  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