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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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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 · club · mug · racket · snap · mate · wind · stick

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. capital — money
  6. club — for golf
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. capital — a city
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. mate — to breed
  12. wind — moving air
  13. club — a group
  14. mug — a cup
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. mug — a face
  19. wind — moving air
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mug — to rob
  23. club — for dancing
  24. snap — to click

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