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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 116 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. court — of a king
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. suit — in cards
  9. can — to be able to
  10. suit — to fit
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. court — of law
  14. suit — clothes
  15. hand — help
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. capital — a city
  18. hand — in cards
  19. wax — to grow
  20. snap — to click
  21. court — for sport
  22. capital — money
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — a tin

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