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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bulb — for light
  3. club — for dancing
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. race — a contest
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — money
  8. lean — to bend
  9. club — a group
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. game — wild animals
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. race — the arms race
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. race — humankind
  17. lean — thin
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. club — for golf
  20. game — a match
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bulb — for light
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. tube — a container

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