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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: staff · kick · spring · hide · game · current · capital · rush

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. capital — a city
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. spring — the season
  6. game — a match
  7. current — electric
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. game — wild animals
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. current — happening now
  12. kick — in football
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. current — of water
  16. staff — employees
  17. spring — of water
  18. rush — hurry
  19. spring — a coil
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. staff — a stick
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. staff — employees
  24. kick — with a leg

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