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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. present — there
  6. key — in music
  7. squash — to crush
  8. last — final
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. present — a gift
  14. key — the most important part
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. last — finally
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. capital — money
  21. present — the time now
  22. squash — the sport
  23. last — to go on
  24. key — for a lock

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