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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. capital — a city
  6. root — the cause
  7. ball — a great time
  8. pitch — completely
  9. root — of a word
  10. court — for sport
  11. root — of a plant
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. court — of law
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. court — of a king
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. capital — money

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