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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bound — certain
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. press — to push
  6. press — a publisher
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. press — newspapers
  12. date — the fruit
  13. bound — tied together
  14. cue — a hint
  15. bound — obliged
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. cue — a signal
  20. pound — a weight
  21. cue — for pool
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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