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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. fall — to drop
  3. suit — in cards
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. suit — to fit
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. rock — music
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. foot — a measure
  14. suit — clothes
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. lie — to recline
  17. capital — a city
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. mine — for digging
  24. rock — a stone

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