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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: date · rush · march · straw · capital · last · kick · foot

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. capital — money
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. capital — a city
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. date — the fruit
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. last — to go on
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. kick — in football
  20. last — finally
  21. last — final
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. rush — hurry
  24. foot — a measure

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