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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: scale · wake · snap · stick · capital · cabinet · swing · nail

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. swing — to play on
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. capital — a city
  10. swing — in golf
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. swing — music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. snap — to click
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. wake — a trail
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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