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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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Word bank
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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: chair · land · snap · wave · pass · net · nail · capital

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. net — in sport
  4. snap — to click
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. capital — a city
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. net — for catching
  13. land — a country
  14. land — to come down
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. land — ground
  19. capital — money
  20. net — after costs
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. chair — a leader

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