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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 124 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: snap · capital · suit · face · rest · court · arm · wind

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. suit — in cards
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. rest — a break
  5. capital — money
  6. snap — to click
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rest — what's left
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. face — to point toward
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. court — of law
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. suit — clothes
  16. court — of a king
  17. wind — moving air
  18. court — for sport
  19. face — to confront
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. suit — to fit
  24. rest — what's left

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