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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  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. capital — money
  2. capital — a city
  3. snap — to click
  4. swing — to play on
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. suit — clothes
  9. chest — a box
  10. swing — music
  11. lean — to bend
  12. swing — in golf
  13. date — the fruit
  14. chest — of your body
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. suit — to fit
  17. suit — in cards
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — all right
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. chest — of your body
  22. lean — thin
  23. date — on the calendar
  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