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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for golf
  4. key — for a lock
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. club — for dancing
  9. chest — of your body
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wax — to grow
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. key — the most important part
  16. stock — shares
  17. key — in music
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. stock — goods
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. capital — money

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