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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. season — in sport
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. drill — army training
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. season — of the year
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. court — for sport
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. lie — to recline
  13. court — of law
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. drill — the tool
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. court — of a king
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. drill — a practice
  21. capital — money
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. capital — a city

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