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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. last — finally
  3. mug — a cup
  4. capital — a city
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. last — to go on
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. mug — a face
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. capital — money
  12. fine — all right
  13. board — a committee
  14. fine — high quality
  15. last — final
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. cell — a phone
  18. wake — a trail
  19. snap — to click
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. board — to get on
  22. mug — to rob
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cell — in a prison

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