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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 · press · hand · pit · rash · bear · bay · capital

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. press — a publisher
  6. bear — the animal
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. press — to push
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. pit — a hole
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — a series
  13. press — newspapers
  14. hand — help
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bear — the animal
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. capital — money
  24. hand — in cards

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