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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: capital · march · press · object · rash · lash · fall · cold

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. march — the month
  3. rash — a series
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. capital — money
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. rash — hasty
  8. fall — to drop
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. object — a thing
  14. capital — a city
  15. march — the month
  16. object — to protest
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — a publisher
  19. cold — an illness
  20. press — to push
  21. march — music
  22. fall — the season
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. cold — not warm

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