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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: capital · snap · stem · hide · game · pit · sharp · foot

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. stem — to come from
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pit — in a race
  6. capital — a city
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. snap — to click
  11. pit — a hole
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. game — a match
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. capital — money
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. foot — a measure

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