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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. ball — a dance
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. fine — high quality
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. capital — a city
  10. wake — a trail
  11. snap — to click
  12. chair — a leader
  13. fine — all right
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. pound — a weight
  20. saw — the tool
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. ball — a great time

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