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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.

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: bat · fine · season · capital · bowl · kick · bass · kid

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kid — to tease
  3. capital — a city
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — of the year
  11. kid — child
  12. bass — low music
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. season — in sport
  17. capital — money
  18. fine — all right
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — the fish
  22. kick — in football
  23. fine — high quality
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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