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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. field — for sport
  3. kick — in football
  4. fall — to drop
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. bass — low music
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — farmland
  11. fall — to drop
  12. firm — a company
  13. firm — steady
  14. firm — decided
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. bass — the fish
  17. fall — the season
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. capital — money

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