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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 116 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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. tube — a container
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cue — a hint
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. tube — the underground
  12. field — for sport
  13. lie — to recline
  14. field — a subject
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cue — a signal
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. field — farmland
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. capital — money
  22. cue — for pool
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. pitcher — a jug

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