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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bark — to shout
  4. firm — decided
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. file — a tool
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — money
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. charge — a price
  12. field — farmland
  13. charge — in control
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. firm — a company
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. charge — electricity
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. rash — a series
  21. field — a subject
  22. file — a document
  23. firm — steady
  24. field — for sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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