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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: lash · kid · rule · swing · tube · rest · bore · capital

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — money
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. rest — a break
  5. bore — to tire
  6. rest — what's left
  7. kid — to tease
  8. tube — the underground
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. capital — a city
  13. swing — music
  14. rule — government
  15. swing — to play on
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. rule — a law
  20. kid — child
  21. swing — in golf
  22. bore — to drill
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. tube — a container

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