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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. row — a line
  7. row — to paddle
  8. file — a line of people
  9. capital — a city
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. board — a committee
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a document
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. board — to get on
  22. wax — to grow
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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