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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: kick · last · cabinet · lean · current · content · capital · land

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. land — a country
  3. land — to come down
  4. capital — money
  5. content — happy
  6. land — ground
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. last — to go on
  9. capital — a city
  10. current — electric
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. lean — thin
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. current — happening now
  15. last — finally
  16. kick — in football
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. lean — to bend
  19. content — the amount
  20. current — of water
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. last — final
  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