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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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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: track · rest · lash · chest · fine · capital · chip · bulb

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bulb — for light
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. track — to keep track
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. capital — money
  10. track — a song
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chip — for betting
  13. bulb — for light
  14. fine — high quality
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. rest — a break
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. fine — all right
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. chest — a box
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. track — a path

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