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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: kick · last · mark · track · deal · leaves · dip · capital

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. last — to go on
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. last — finally
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. last — final
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — money
  13. deal — to handle
  14. dip — to sink
  15. capital — a city
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — a trace
  19. track — to keep track
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. track — a path
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kick — in football

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