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

Word bank: can · dip · wake · lash · suit · court · capital · shower

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. court — of law
  3. capital — money
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. shower — rain
  6. wake — a trail
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. court — of a king
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. capital — a city
  11. dip — to sink
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. suit — clothes
  14. can — a tin
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — to be able to
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. suit — to fit
  23. suit — in cards
  24. court — 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