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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. mate — a friend
  3. pound — a weight
  4. ground — a position
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. staff — employees
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. ground — the earth
  9. mate — to breed
  10. ball — a dance
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. ball — a great time
  15. fall — to drop
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. capital — money
  18. mate — a partner
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. staff — a stick
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. staff — employees
  24. ground — crushed

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