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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. mate — a friend
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. land — a country
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a city
  10. mate — a partner
  11. root — the cause
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. land — ground
  14. present — there
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. root — of a plant
  17. mate — to breed
  18. present — the time now
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. land — to come down
  21. root — of a word
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. present — a gift
  24. mouse — the animal

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