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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 120 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: press · can · capital · lash · bear · pound · cue · court

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. court — of a king
  3. capital — a city
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. court — for sport
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bear — the animal
  8. press — to push
  9. capital — money
  10. cue — a signal
  11. press — a publisher
  12. bear — the animal
  13. can — a tin
  14. pound — a weight
  15. press — newspapers
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. can — to be able to
  18. cue — for pool
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. can — a tin
  22. cue — a hint
  23. court — of law
  24. lash — to lash out

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