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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: foot · pitcher · wind · snap · rule · wake · lie · capital

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wake — a trail
  4. rule — government
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. snap — to click
  9. capital — a city
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. foot — a measure
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. lie — to recline
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. capital — money
  23. wind — moving air
  24. foot — part of the body

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