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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: kick · snap · wave · craft · capital · cap · chest · suit

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  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. chest — of your body
  2. chest — a box
  3. suit — to fit
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. capital — money
  6. cap — a lid
  7. chest — of your body
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. kick — in football
  12. suit — in cards
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — boats
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. suit — clothes
  18. capital — a city
  19. cap — a hat
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. cap — of ice
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wave — with your hand
  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