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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. snap — to click
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — completely
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. race — a contest
  8. spell — letters
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — a city
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. race — humankind
  15. spell — magic
  16. race — the arms race
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. capital — money
  24. spell — a short time

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