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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 116 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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bound — obliged
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. suit — in cards
  6. wake — a trail
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. capital — money
  9. can — to be able to
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. perch — the fish
  12. capital — a city
  13. snap — to click
  14. can — a tin
  15. suit — to fit
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — tied together
  21. can — a tin
  22. pound — a weight
  23. suit — clothes
  24. capital — a big letter

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