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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · rule · squash · capital · leaves · track · court · sharp

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. rule — government
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. court — for sport
  9. kick — in football
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. court — of a king
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. track — to keep track
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. track — a song
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. rule — a law
  19. squash — to crush
  20. sharp — clever
  21. squash — the sport
  22. track — a path
  23. capital — a city
  24. court — of law

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