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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. spell — a short time
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. spell — letters
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. row — to paddle
  9. capital — a city
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. fine — high quality
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. spell — magic
  16. row — a line
  17. fine — all right
  18. rock — music
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. rock — a stone
  24. pitcher — in 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