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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. present — the time now
  5. swing — in golf
  6. craft — boats
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. present — a gift
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. row — a line
  11. swing — to play on
  12. craft — a skill
  13. present — there
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. row — to paddle
  16. swing — music
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. capital — money
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. date — the fruit

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