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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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. track — a path
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. degree — temperature
  7. can — a tin
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. track — to keep track
  11. file — a line of people
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. can — a tin
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. track — a song
  18. file — a document
  19. snap — to click
  20. can — to be able to
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. degree — from a university
  23. file — a tool
  24. degree — an amount

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