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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. hand — in cards
  4. mug — to rob
  5. court — for sport
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. mug — a face
  8. present — a gift
  9. capital — money
  10. march — the month
  11. present — the time now
  12. capital — a city
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. march — the month
  16. court — of a king
  17. present — there
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. mug — a cup
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. march — music
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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