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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. rest — a break
  3. kid — child
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. ball — a dance
  8. capital — money
  9. rest — what's left
  10. prune — to trim
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. capital — a city
  17. ball — a great time
  18. kid — to tease
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rest — what's left
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. lash — an eyelash

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