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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. mug — to rob
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. court — of a king
  6. mug — a face
  7. capital — a city
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. court — for sport
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. firm — steady
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. firm — decided
  17. rule — a law
  18. firm — a company
  19. mug — a cup
  20. pound — a weight
  21. court — of law
  22. rule — government
  23. wax — to grow
  24. capital — money

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