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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. squash — to crush
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. lean — thin
  6. vault — a safe
  7. rash — hasty
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. rash — a series
  15. sharp — clever
  16. capital — money
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. lean — to bend
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. lean — to rest against

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