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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. fine — all right
  4. capital — a city
  5. fall — the season
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. firm — steady
  8. capital — money
  9. object — to protest
  10. firm — decided
  11. fall — to drop
  12. object — a thing
  13. wake — a trail
  14. snap — to click
  15. object — an aim
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. firm — a company
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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