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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 116 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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. cell — in biology
  4. key — the most important part
  5. rush — hurry
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. bound — tied together
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. key — in music
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. capital — money
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bound — certain
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. fork — in a road
  18. bound — obliged
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. key — for a lock
  23. cell — a phone
  24. lash — to lash out

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