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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: craft · wave · fall · jam · capital · date · kick · chip

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. craft — a skill
  5. fall — to drop
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. kick — in football
  8. capital — money
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. chip — to eat
  15. fall — the season
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. craft — boats
  21. chip — for betting
  22. date — the fruit
  23. capital — a city
  24. fall — to drop

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