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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: roll · swing · pass · mark · lash · capital · fine · root

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. swing — to play on
  4. roll — a cake
  5. swing — in golf
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. root — the cause
  9. root — of a plant
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. swing — music
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. root — of a word
  17. fine — high quality
  18. mark — a trace
  19. fine — all right
  20. pass — a permit
  21. mark — a grade
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a city

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