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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. swing — music
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. drill — army training
  5. row — to paddle
  6. drill — a practice
  7. swing — to play on
  8. capital — a city
  9. swing — in golf
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. row — a line
  13. capital — money
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. drill — the tool
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. capital — a big letter

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