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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 · calf · suit · pass · field · rush · snap · game

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rush — hurry
  3. capital — a city
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — a subject
  7. snap — to click
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. suit — in cards
  13. game — a match
  14. field — for sport
  15. pass — a permit
  16. suit — to fit
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. game — wild animals
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. capital — money
  23. suit — clothes
  24. pass — to spend time

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