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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. spell — letters
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. mate — a partner
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. object — an aim
  11. object — to protest
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. sharp — clever
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. spell — a short time
  20. capital — money
  21. spell — magic
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a friend
  24. object — a thing

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