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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rule — government
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rash — hasty
  9. last — to go on
  10. ball — a dance
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. capital — a city
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — money
  15. ball — a great time
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. rule — a law
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. last — finally
  23. rash — a series
  24. last — final

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