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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. fine — all right
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. court — of law
  8. capital — money
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. file — a document
  11. court — for sport
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. court — of a king
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. fine — high quality
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bass — the fish
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. rush — hurry
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. capital — a city
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. file — a tool
  24. bass — low music

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