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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. mug — a cup
  3. chest — of your body
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. snap — to click
  8. chest — a box
  9. chest — of your body
  10. mug — to rob
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. current — of water
  14. scale — in music
  15. current — electric
  16. roll — a list
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. mug — a face
  19. current — happening now
  20. roll — a cake
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. scale — size or range
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. scale — for weighing

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