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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 116 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: hide · capital · snap · pitch · cabinet · object · lie · wind

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. capital — money
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. wind — moving air
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. object — an aim
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. snap — to click
  19. lie — to recline
  20. object — a thing
  21. pitch — completely
  22. object — to protest
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. hide — to keep secret

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