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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. spell — a short time
  5. sharp — clever
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. band — a music group
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. net — for catching
  14. lean — to bend
  15. capital — a city
  16. net — after costs
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. spell — magic
  20. net — in sport
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. capital — money
  23. band — a ring
  24. lean — thin

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