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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. bound — tied together
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — money
  5. net — for catching
  6. bound — obliged
  7. shower — rain
  8. net — after costs
  9. bound — certain
  10. chip — for betting
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. staff — employees
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. staff — a stick
  17. rash — hasty
  18. net — in sport
  19. chip — to eat
  20. shower — to wash
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. staff — employees
  24. chip — in a computer

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