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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. saw — the tool
  3. cap — a hat
  4. saw — the tool
  5. snap — to click
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. cue — a signal
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. cue — a hint
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. court — for sport
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. cue — for pool
  16. vault — a safe
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. cap — a lid
  20. court — of law
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. court — of a king
  23. cap — of ice
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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