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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lash · rule · sharp · capital · bat · stem · can · current

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. bat — the animal
  4. stem — to come from
  5. capital — money
  6. current — of water
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. can — to be able to
  12. current — electric
  13. capital — a city
  14. can — a tin
  15. current — happening now
  16. can — a tin
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. rule — a law
  24. rule — government

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