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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. capital — a city
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. capital — money
  6. kick — in football
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. wake — a trail
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. sharp — clever
  15. mark — a trace
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. rush — hurry
  22. mark — a grade
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — thin

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