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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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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: mug · file · spell · bore · lie · net · snap · capital

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. spell — magic
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. mug — a face
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. net — after costs
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. file — a document
  10. spell — a short time
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to drill
  13. capital — money
  14. mug — to rob
  15. capital — a city
  16. lie — to recline
  17. file — a line of people
  18. mug — a cup
  19. net — in sport
  20. bore — to tire
  21. net — for catching
  22. file — a tool
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. spell — letters

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