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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. pit — in a race
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. capital — a city
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. band — a ring
  12. season — of the year
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. capital — money
  16. band — a music group
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. pit — a hole
  21. wind — moving air
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. season — in sport
  24. cabinet — ministers

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