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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. capital — a city
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. wound — an injury
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. capital — money
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — for dogs

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