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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. fall — to drop
  4. spring — a coil
  5. fall — to drop
  6. capital — money
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. rock — a stone
  9. fall — the season
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. spring — of water
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. spring — the season
  14. wake — a trail
  15. capital — a city
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — in music
  19. snap — to click
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. deal — to handle
  22. rock — music
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. rock — to move gently

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