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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: sharp · capital · fall · snap · pass · pound · stick · mark

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — money
  3. sharp — clever
  4. snap — to click
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. mark — a trace
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. pound — a weight
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. capital — a city
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. pass — a permit
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. fall — to drop
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pound — to hit hard

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