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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 120 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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. march — the month
  3. object — an aim
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — in music
  9. object — to protest
  10. march — the month
  11. bat — the animal
  12. swing — music
  13. swing — in golf
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. march — music
  16. object — a thing
  17. key — for a lock
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. capital — a city
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. capital — money
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — a safe

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