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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: nail · bulb · snap · race · cue · kid · mouse · capital

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. race — humankind
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. race — the arms race
  7. kid — to tease
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. race — a contest
  12. capital — a city
  13. bulb — for light
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. bulb — for light
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. cue — a hint
  19. kid — child
  20. cue — a signal
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. capital — money
  23. cue — for pool
  24. snap — to click

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