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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. track — a path
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. swing — to play on
  7. face — to point toward
  8. track — a song
  9. squash — the sport
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. squash — to crush
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. swing — in golf
  14. face — to confront
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. track — to keep track
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — a grade
  20. face — part of the head
  21. capital — a city
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. swing — music
  24. capital — money

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