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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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Word bank
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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — a city
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — the amount
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a great time
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — of a word
  15. pit — in a race
  16. file — a document
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. file — a line of people
  19. root — the cause
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. pit — a hole
  23. content — happy
  24. file — a tool

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