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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. cue — a hint
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. game — a match
  9. clip — to cut
  10. pass — a permit
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — money
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. clip — a video
  15. snap — to click
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. game — wild animals
  18. cue — a signal
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. cue — for pool
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. clip — for paper

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