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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bat — the animal
  10. swing — music
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. swing — to play on
  17. toast — bread
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. capital — a city
  22. chair — a leader
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bat — for baseball

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