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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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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: mate · swing · lash · mug · chip · spell · snap · capital

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. swing — in golf
  5. snap — to click
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mate — a partner
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. swing — music
  10. capital — money
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. mate — to breed
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. swing — to play on
  15. spell — a short time
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. mate — a friend
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mug — a face
  21. chip — to eat
  22. chip — for betting
  23. spell — magic
  24. lash — an eyelash

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