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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 116 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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — for a lock
  4. bass — the fish
  5. capital — money
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. key — in music
  8. suit — to fit
  9. suit — in cards
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. capital — a city
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. squash — the sport
  18. squash — to crush
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pound — a weight
  23. suit — clothes
  24. bass — low music

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