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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 116 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 · ball · kick · hide · wake · bark · pit · snap

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bark — to shout
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. pit — in a race
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. kick — in football
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pit — a hole
  13. wake — a trail
  14. capital — a city
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. capital — money
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. ball — a great time
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. ball — a dance
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. ball — a round shape

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