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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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Word bank
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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. scale — size or range
  6. present — there
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. scale — in music
  10. present — the time now
  11. track — a path
  12. track — a song
  13. track — to keep track
  14. present — a gift
  15. game — wild animals
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. capital — money
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. game — a match
  20. capital — a city
  21. land — a country
  22. land — ground
  23. lie — to recline
  24. scale — for weighing

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