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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. club — for golf
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — money
  11. court — of a king
  12. tear — to rip
  13. court — of law
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. capital — a city
  16. club — a group
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. court — for sport
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. tear — from crying
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. tear — from crying
  24. club — for dancing

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