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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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Word bank
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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pass — a permit
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. capital — a city
  9. cap — of ice
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. capital — money
  14. bass — low music
  15. bass — the fish
  16. cap — a lid
  17. drill — the tool
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. cap — a hat
  20. wind — moving air
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. drill — a practice
  24. lash — an eyelash

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