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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. saw — the tool
  4. can — a tin
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. mug — to rob
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — the fish
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. mug — a cup
  13. can — a tin
  14. hand — help
  15. snap — to click
  16. can — to be able to
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. saw — the tool
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. bowl — to roll

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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