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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: fall · ruler · hide · snap · cue · suit · capital · last

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. last — final
  4. snap — to click
  5. suit — clothes
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. suit — in cards
  10. cue — a hint
  11. fall — the season
  12. capital — a city
  13. fall — to drop
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. capital — money
  19. suit — to fit
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. last — to go on
  22. cue — a signal
  23. last — finally
  24. cue — for pool

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