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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. row — a line
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. foot — a measure
  6. capital — money
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. row — to paddle
  11. chip — for betting
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chip — to eat
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. chair — a leader
  21. wake — a trail
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. capital — a city

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