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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: plane · lash · saw · capital · bat · field · charge · toast

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. field — a subject
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — the animal
  7. charge — a price
  8. saw — the tool
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. capital — money
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. toast — bread
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. charge — in control
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. field — farmland
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. charge — electricity
  20. plane — a tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. field — for sport

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