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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: lie · content · club · kick · capital · stick · cabinet · race

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. club — for golf
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. capital — money
  5. lie — to recline
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. race — the arms race
  11. club — for dancing
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. capital — a city
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — humankind
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. content — the amount
  22. content — happy
  23. kick — in football
  24. cabinet — ministers

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