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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. rock — a stone
  3. roll — a cake
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. roll — a list
  7. net — after costs
  8. march — music
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. march — the month
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. capital — a city
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. firm — a company
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — of law
  17. net — for catching
  18. march — the month
  19. rock — music
  20. firm — steady
  21. court — for sport
  22. net — in sport
  23. firm — decided
  24. capital — money

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