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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: kick · dip · lean · rule · capital · last · court · foot

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. court — for sport
  4. capital — a city
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. last — final
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. dip — to sink
  10. rule — a law
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. kick — in football
  13. rule — government
  14. last — finally
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. court — of law
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. last — to go on
  19. foot — a measure
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. court — of a king
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. capital — money
  24. lean — to bend

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