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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  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. lash — to lash out
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. club — a group
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. last — finally
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. capital — money
  10. game — wild animals
  11. last — final
  12. hand — help
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. club — for golf
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. game — a match
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. last — to go on
  22. pass — a permit
  23. club — for dancing
  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