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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bulb — for light
  5. land — to come down
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. land — ground
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bear — the animal
  13. land — a country
  14. bulb — for light
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bear — the animal
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. mark — a trace
  20. wound — an injury
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. snap — to click
  24. mark — a grade

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