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

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. pitch — completely
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. cap — a lid
  6. roll — a cake
  7. swing — to play on
  8. capital — a city
  9. cap — of ice
  10. face — part of the head
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. swing — music
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. face — to confront
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. swing — in golf
  20. capital — money
  21. cap — a hat
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. face — to point toward
  24. jam — in traffic

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