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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: bore · kick · bound · track · capital · net · club · jam

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bore — to drill
  3. track — a song
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. net — for catching
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. capital — money
  8. bound — tied together
  9. club — for golf
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. net — after costs
  13. club — for dancing
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. net — in sport
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — certain
  19. kick — in football
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. track — a path
  22. bore — to tire
  23. club — a group
  24. track — to keep track

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