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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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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: row · present · wave · kick · rush · capital · drill · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. row — a line
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. rush — hurry
  6. row — to paddle
  7. last — final
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. present — there
  11. present — a gift
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. drill — a practice
  14. present — the time now
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — the tool
  19. capital — money
  20. kick — in football
  21. last — finally
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. row — a quarrel
  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