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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 116 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: tear · lash · firm · ground · chip · rest · capital · march

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. march — the month
  4. rest — what's left
  5. ground — a position
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. chip — to eat
  8. rest — what's left
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. tear — to rip
  12. rest — a break
  13. firm — steady
  14. march — music
  15. ground — the earth
  16. capital — a city
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. firm — a company
  19. firm — decided
  20. tear — from crying
  21. march — the month
  22. chip — for betting
  23. ground — crushed
  24. capital — money

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