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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. last — to go on
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. spring — the season
  8. bass — the fish
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. capital — money
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. capital — a city
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bass — low music
  16. last — finally
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. last — final
  22. foot — a measure
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. rash — a series

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