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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 116 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 · land · leaves · capital · key · fall · last · stand

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. key — for a lock
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. fall — the season
  5. stand — to bear
  6. kick — in football
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. land — a country
  9. land — ground
  10. key — the most important part
  11. last — to go on
  12. fall — to drop
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. capital — a city
  16. key — in music
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. capital — money
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. last — finally
  21. last — final
  22. fall — to drop
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. land — to come down

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