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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. saw — the tool
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. snap — to click
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. saw — the tool
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. wake — a trail
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. kick — in football
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. capital — money
  23. can — a tin
  24. kick — a thrill

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