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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. wind — moving air
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. date — the fruit
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. wind — moving air
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. capital — money
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. mine — for digging
  24. wave — with your hand

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