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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. face — to confront
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. face — part of the head
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — for catching
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. face — to point toward
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. net — after costs
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. chip — to eat
  20. capital — a city
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. chip — for betting
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. wax — to grow

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