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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 116 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. capital — a city
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — a phone
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. track — a song
  10. capital — money
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. track — to keep track
  13. suit — clothes
  14. mine — for digging
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. track — a path
  18. suit — to fit
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cue — for pool
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. suit — in cards
  24. lash — to lash out

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