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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. suit — clothes
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. mate — a partner
  5. kid — child
  6. fall — to drop
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bank — for money
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. capital — money
  11. suit — to fit
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. row — a line
  14. fall — to drop
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bank — of a river
  17. suit — in cards
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. kid — to tease
  20. mate — to breed
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. bank — for money
  23. fall — the season
  24. row — to paddle

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