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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. wind — moving air
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. bore — to drill
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. press — newspapers
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bore — to tire
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — employees
  17. march — music
  18. staff — a stick
  19. court — of a king
  20. press — a publisher
  21. court — for sport
  22. wind — moving air
  23. press — to push
  24. court — of law

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