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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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. net — in sport
  4. lie — to recline
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — money
  8. stem — to come from
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. net — for catching
  18. roll — a list
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. roll — a cake
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. net — after costs

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