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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: kid · capital · spring · pit · staff · charge · lash · snap

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. pit — in a race
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. kid — to tease
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. staff — employees
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. charge — a price
  10. capital — a city
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. capital — money
  14. spring — of water
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. pit — a hole
  17. snap — to click
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — a coil
  20. kid — child
  21. staff — employees
  22. charge — electricity
  23. charge — in control
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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