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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: snap · wind · swing · capital · track · lie · arm · kid

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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. swing — in golf
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. capital — a city
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. swing — music
  10. swing — to play on
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. track — to keep track
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — money
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. kid — to tease
  18. wind — moving air
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. wind — moving air
  21. kid — child
  22. track — a path
  23. track — a song
  24. snap — to click

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