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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 120 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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. capital — money
  3. wake — a trail
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. deal — to handle
  7. tube — a container
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. snap — to click
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. capital — a city
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. fine — high quality
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. fine — all right
  22. tube — the underground
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pound — to hit hard

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