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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 120 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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. capital — money
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. clip — a video
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. clip — to cut
  10. last — to go on
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. wake — a trail
  13. clip — for paper
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. capital — a city
  19. can — a tin
  20. last — final
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. last — finally
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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