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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — money
  3. shower — rain
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. current — of water
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. current — happening now
  10. bound — obliged
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. shower — to wash
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bound — tied together
  18. capital — a city
  19. current — electric
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bound — certain
  23. pitch — completely
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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