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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 120 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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. capital — money
  5. scale — in music
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. kid — to tease
  8. cap — of ice
  9. charge — in control
  10. charge — a price
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. kid — child
  13. tear — from crying
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. scale — size or range
  16. lie — to recline
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. charge — electricity
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. tear — to rip
  21. capital — a city
  22. cap — a hat
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. tear — from crying

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