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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 120 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bass — low music
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. wake — a trail
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. mate — to breed
  8. firm — a company
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. bass — the fish
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. capital — money
  15. mate — a partner
  16. firm — decided
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. firm — steady
  20. mate — a friend
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. sharp — clever

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