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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 120 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 · pit · rash · present · snap · stick · pound · swing

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. present — the time now
  5. present — a gift
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. swing — to play on
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. pound — a weight
  11. swing — music
  12. snap — to click
  13. pit — a hole
  14. rash — hasty
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. swing — in golf
  19. rash — a series
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — money
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pit — in a race

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