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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  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. season — to add flavour
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — in sport
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a city
  14. plane — a tool
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. chair — a leader
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. lash — to lash out

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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