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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 · wave · hide · snap · lie · kick · can · fall

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  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. can — to be able to
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. lie — to recline
  8. capital — a city
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. capital — money
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. can — a tin
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. fall — to drop
  19. kick — in football
  20. fall — the season
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. can — a tin
  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