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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. cell — a phone
  4. capital — a city
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. mate — to breed
  7. court — for sport
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. mate — a friend
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. suit — clothes
  14. court — of a king
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. court — of law
  17. suit — to fit
  18. cell — in biology
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — farmland
  21. suit — in cards
  22. mate — a partner
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. field — for sport

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