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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. lean — thin
  4. ground — a position
  5. capital — a city
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. pop — to visit
  9. rash — hasty
  10. pop — music
  11. bound — tied together
  12. mark — a trace
  13. ground — crushed
  14. lean — to bend
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. bound — certain
  17. capital — money
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. bound — obliged
  22. rash — a series
  23. mark — a grade
  24. ground — the earth

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