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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: lash · last · snap · stand · ball · kid · capital · lean

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. snap — to click
  3. kid — child
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. last — to go on
  6. stand — to bear
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. last — final
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. ball — a great time
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. ball — a dance
  15. lean — to bend
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. last — finally
  19. kid — to tease
  20. lean — thin
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. capital — a city
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. capital — money

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