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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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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: lash · ruler · capital · mine · fork · kick · track · club

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. track — to keep track
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. track — a path
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. fork — in a road
  10. track — a song
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. club — a group
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. kick — in football
  18. capital — a city
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. mine — for digging
  21. capital — money
  22. club — for golf
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. lash — to lash out

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