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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. capital — money
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — employees
  6. vault — a safe
  7. ground — crushed
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. wake — a trail
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. snap — to click
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. staff — a stick
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. capital — a city
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. ground — a position
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. ground — the earth
  24. wake — before a funeral

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