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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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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: plane · kick · content · capital · mark · bulb · arm · kid

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. capital — a city
  3. content — the amount
  4. bulb — for light
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bulb — for light
  7. mark — a trace
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kick — in football
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. kid — child
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. mark — a grade
  18. kid — to tease
  19. capital — money
  20. content — happy
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. plane — a tool

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