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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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. swing — to play on
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. snap — to click
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. ball — a dance
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. ball — a great time
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. pound — a weight
  20. swing — in golf
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to bend
  24. swing — music

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