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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 116 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. pop — music
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. pop — to visit
  5. rush — hurry
  6. file — a line of people
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. pop — soda
  9. file — a tool
  10. bass — low music
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. stand — to bear
  14. bass — the fish
  15. mate — a friend
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. file — a document
  20. mate — to breed
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. mate — a partner
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. capital — money

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