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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. capital — a city
  3. fine — high quality
  4. ball — a dance
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. ground — the earth
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. fine — all right
  10. content — the amount
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. content — happy
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. ground — crushed
  18. dip — to sink
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. capital — money
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. ground — a position
  24. ball — a great time

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