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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: foot · wake · fan · capital · cabinet · kick · cue · snap

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — money
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wake — a trail
  17. foot — a measure
  18. capital — a city
  19. cue — for pool
  20. snap — to click
  21. kick — in football
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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