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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. degree — an amount
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. capital — money
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. season — of the year
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. fine — high quality
  14. ball — a dance
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. ball — a great time
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. season — in sport
  19. capital — a city
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — from a university
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. fine — all right

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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