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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. content — the amount
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. pop — music
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a city
  10. content — happy
  11. lean — thin
  12. hand — in cards
  13. pop — to visit
  14. snap — to click
  15. lean — to bend
  16. hand — help
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. pop — soda
  20. last — final
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. last — finally
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. lean — to rest against

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