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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · march · lean · snap · mine · rock · net · jam

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. snap — to click
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — for catching
  5. rock — a stone
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. rock — music
  8. march — the month
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. capital — money
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. net — after costs
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. capital — a city
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. lean — to bend

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