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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. deal — to handle
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. object — to protest
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. capital — money
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. snap — to click
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. object — a thing
  13. bulb — for light
  14. fall — the season
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. fall — to drop
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. object — an aim
  19. fall — to drop
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. bulb — for light

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