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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 120 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 · game · deal · rock · arm · bark · club · capital

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bark — to shout
  3. club — a group
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. capital — money
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. club — for golf
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. snap — to click
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. game — wild animals
  16. rock — a stone
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. game — a match
  19. club — for dancing
  20. deal — to handle
  21. capital — a city
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rock — music
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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