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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — soda
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. bear — the animal
  8. kid — child
  9. cue — for pool
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. capital — a city
  13. pop — music
  14. cue — a hint
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — in football
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. cue — a signal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. capital — a big letter

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