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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. can — to be able to
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. fork — in a road
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. can — a tin
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bass — low music
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. capital — a city
  19. can — a tin
  20. capital — money
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. bass — the fish
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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