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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. cue — a hint
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kid — to tease
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. capital — money
  7. bank — for money
  8. rest — what's left
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. bank — of a river
  11. cue — a signal
  12. snap — to click
  13. capital — a city
  14. cue — for pool
  15. bank — for money
  16. kid — child
  17. vault — a safe
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. stand — to bear
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. rest — what's left
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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