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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. bass — the fish
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. wound — an injury
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. plane — a tool
  8. march — the month
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. capital — money
  11. vault — a safe
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. field — for sport
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. bass — low music
  16. capital — a city
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. field — a subject
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. wound — an injury
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. field — farmland
  24. lash — an eyelash

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