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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fall · stick · snap · staff · mark · present · bat · capital

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. mark — a grade
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. staff — employees
  7. snap — to click
  8. fall — to drop
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. staff — employees
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. present — there
  14. bat — the animal
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. present — a gift
  18. fall — the season
  19. staff — a stick
  20. capital — a city
  21. fall — to drop
  22. capital — money
  23. present — the time now
  24. bat — for baseball

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