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

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  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. drill — the tool
  3. drill — a practice
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. foot — a measure
  8. fall — to drop
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. vault — a safe
  11. capital — money
  12. bound — tied together
  13. drill — army training
  14. bound — certain
  15. fall — to drop
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bound — obliged
  19. capital — a city
  20. snap — to click
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. fall — the season
  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