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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  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. capital — money
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. snap — to click
  5. track — a song
  6. rule — a law
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. capital — a city
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. cue — a hint
  12. track — a path
  13. track — to keep track
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. cue — for pool
  16. rule — government
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. cue — a signal
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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