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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. cell — in biology
  5. court — for sport
  6. pitch — completely
  7. court — of a king
  8. lean — thin
  9. capital — a city
  10. cue — for pool
  11. lean — to bend
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. snap — to click
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. cell — a phone
  17. court — of law
  18. cue — a hint
  19. capital — money
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. cue — a signal

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