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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. march — the month
  6. court — of a king
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. capital — money
  11. key — the most important part
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. tear — from crying
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. tear — from crying
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. court — of law
  19. mark — a grade
  20. march — music
  21. key — in music
  22. key — for a lock
  23. court — for sport
  24. tear — to rip

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