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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. spell — a short time
  6. firm — decided
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. firm — steady
  10. last — finally
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. last — final
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. mug — a face
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mark — a grade
  17. last — to go on
  18. firm — a company
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. spell — magic
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. spell — letters
  23. capital — money
  24. mark — a trace

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