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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. swing — in golf
  4. capital — money
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. court — of law
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of a king
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. capital — a city
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. deal — to handle
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. swing — to play on
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. swing — music

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