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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bound — certain
  5. land — ground
  6. object — an aim
  7. capital — a city
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. object — a thing
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bound — tied together
  12. cold — not warm
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pit — a hole
  15. land — a country
  16. land — to come down
  17. capital — money
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bound — obliged
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. object — to protest
  24. pit — in a race

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