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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. clip — a video
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. key — for a lock
  5. fall — to drop
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. capital — money
  9. fall — the season
  10. kid — to tease
  11. snap — to click
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. kid — child
  14. rock — a stone
  15. key — in music
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. key — the most important part
  18. clip — for paper
  19. fall — to drop
  20. rock — music
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. capital — a city
  23. clip — to cut
  24. rock — to move gently

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