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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. firm — decided
  3. capital — a city
  4. firm — steady
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. face — to point toward
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. face — to confront
  11. cap — a lid
  12. file — a tool
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. cap — a hat
  16. branch — a division
  17. file — a line of people
  18. cap — of ice
  19. file — a document
  20. face — part of the head
  21. capital — money
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. firm — a company

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