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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. season — of the year
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. capital — a city
  5. cap — of ice
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. cap — a hat
  9. rest — a break
  10. season — in sport
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. roll — a list
  13. pop — to visit
  14. roll — a cake
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pop — music
  17. cap — a lid
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. capital — money
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. pop — soda
  24. rest — what's left

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