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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: ruler · capital · kick · present · club · roll · land · stand

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. club — a group
  6. capital — money
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. kick — in football
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. land — ground
  11. roll — a cake
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. present — the time now
  14. roll — a list
  15. club — for dancing
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. land — a country
  18. present — a gift
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. present — there
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. club — for golf
  23. stand — to bear
  24. ruler — a monarch

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