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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. march — the month
  3. capital — a city
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. mug — a cup
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. march — music
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. mug — to rob
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. capital — money
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. march — the month
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bat — the animal
  22. foot — a measure
  23. mug — a face
  24. rash — a series

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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