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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. rash — hasty
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. court — of a king
  6. deal — to handle
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. snap — to click
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. court — for sport
  16. capital — money
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. toast — bread
  19. rash — a series
  20. capital — a city
  21. court — of law
  22. lie — to recline
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. coach — a trainer

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