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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. cue — a signal
  3. board — to get on
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. can — to be able to
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. hand — help
  8. cue — a hint
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. can — a tin
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. cue — for pool
  13. can — a tin
  14. board — a committee
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. hand — in cards
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. kid — child
  21. capital — money
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. kid — to tease

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