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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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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: snap · last · mark · cabinet · capital · bore · file · calf

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. capital — a city
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. mark — a grade
  5. file — a document
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. last — finally
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bore — to drill
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. capital — money
  15. file — a tool
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. last — final
  21. file — a line of people
  22. last — to go on
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. mark — a trace

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