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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. land — a country
  4. rest — a break
  5. rest — what's left
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pop — soda
  9. ball — a dance
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. ball — a great time
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. pop — to visit
  17. rest — what's left
  18. land — to come down
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. land — ground
  23. deal — to handle
  24. pop — music

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