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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: snap · rock · capital · wave · court · drill · perch · fall

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. drill — the tool
  6. rock — a stone
  7. fall — to drop
  8. court — of law
  9. court — for sport
  10. capital — money
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — a practice
  15. capital — a city
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. fall — the season
  18. perch — the fish
  19. snap — to click
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. court — of a king
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. rock — music

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