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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. stand — to bear
  3. last — final
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. capital — money
  6. wound — an injury
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. wound — an injury
  9. last — to go on
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. last — finally
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. rock — music
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. rock — a stone

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