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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.

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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: rule · safe · capital · last · kick · bark · cabinet · ground

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. capital — money
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. rule — a law
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. ground — crushed
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. last — to go on
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. last — finally
  14. capital — a city
  15. ground — a position
  16. bark — to shout
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. rule — government
  19. last — final
  20. ground — the earth
  21. kick — in football
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. kick — a thrill

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