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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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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: track · bore · rock · march · cold · root · kick · capital

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. capital — a city
  3. kick — in football
  4. rock — a stone
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. track — a path
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. march — the month
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. capital — money
  12. cold — an illness
  13. bore — to tire
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. root — of a plant
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. root — the cause
  18. bore — to drill
  19. track — to keep track
  20. rock — music
  21. root — of a word
  22. track — a song
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. cold — not warm

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