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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. charge — in control
  4. shower — to wash
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. branch — a division
  8. fall — to drop
  9. staff — employees
  10. fall — to drop
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. pass — a permit
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. shower — rain
  15. capital — a city
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. staff — employees
  19. charge — electricity
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. staff — a stick
  23. charge — a price
  24. fall — the season

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