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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. scale — in music
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. rest — what's left
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. kid — to tease
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. press — newspapers
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. press — a publisher
  13. scale — size or range
  14. craft — a skill
  15. craft — boats
  16. kid — child
  17. rest — what's left
  18. capital — a city
  19. capital — money
  20. press — to push
  21. mine — for digging
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. lash — an eyelash

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