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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. key — for a lock
  3. swing — to play on
  4. capital — money
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — a city
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. key — the most important part
  10. staff — a stick
  11. swing — music
  12. staff — employees
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. degree — an amount
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. staff — employees
  18. mine — for digging
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. degree — temperature
  21. key — in music
  22. swing — in golf
  23. degree — from a university
  24. mine — an explosive

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