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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. charge — electricity
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. bulb — for light
  5. capital — money
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. swing — to play on
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bore — to tire
  12. band — a ring
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. charge — in control
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. charge — a price
  17. band — a music group
  18. swing — music
  19. swing — in golf
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bulb — for light
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. bore — to drill
  24. straw — a straw man

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