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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. pop — music
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. can — a tin
  8. capital — a city
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. rash — a series
  12. court — for sport
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. court — of a king
  15. rash — hasty
  16. pop — soda
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. court — of law
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. can — to be able to
  21. capital — money
  22. can — a tin
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. rash — on the skin

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