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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. chip — for betting
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. chip — to eat
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. swing — in golf
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. capital — money
  12. court — of law
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. rush — hurry
  15. spring — a coil
  16. swing — to play on
  17. toast — bread
  18. court — for sport
  19. spring — the season
  20. swing — music
  21. spring — of water
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. court — of a king
  24. toast — the most admired

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