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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. race — a contest
  4. club — for golf
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. last — finally
  8. capital — a city
  9. race — humankind
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. club — a group
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mug — a face
  16. race — the arms race
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. capital — money
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. mug — to rob
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. club — for dancing
  23. last — to go on
  24. lash — to lash out

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