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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. band — a ring
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. band — a music group
  5. hand — in cards
  6. firm — decided
  7. net — for catching
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. capital — money
  10. lean — to bend
  11. firm — a company
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. net — in sport
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. capital — a city
  18. lean — thin
  19. firm — steady
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. hand — help
  22. net — after costs
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to click

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