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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. mine — for digging
  3. season — in sport
  4. staff — employees
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. capital — a city
  13. kick — in football
  14. season — of the year
  15. staff — a stick
  16. staff — employees
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. capital — money
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. snap — to click
  24. trunk — of a car

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