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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: net · mouse · capital · wound · dip · mate · snap · suit

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. suit — to fit
  3. wound — an injury
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. net — in sport
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. snap — to click
  9. mate — a partner
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. capital — money
  12. mate — to breed
  13. wound — an injury
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. suit — clothes
  17. net — for catching
  18. suit — in cards
  19. dip — to sink
  20. mate — a friend
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. net — after costs
  23. capital — a city
  24. mouse — for a computer

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