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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. march — the month
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. rock — music
  7. capital — money
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. swing — in golf
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. swing — to play on
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. scale — in music
  17. rock — a stone
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. rest — what's left
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. swing — music
  22. rest — a break
  23. scale — size or range
  24. capital — a city

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