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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — money
  5. spell — magic
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. scale — size or range
  9. pass — a permit
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. hand — help
  14. spell — a short time
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. spell — letters
  17. scale — in music
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. dip — to sink
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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