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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: stick · capital · kick · bowl · hide · cell · mine · squash

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. capital — a city
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. mine — for digging
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. kick — in football
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. squash — to crush
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. capital — money
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. cell — a phone
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. cell — in biology

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