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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. pass — a permit
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — of water
  9. land — ground
  10. spring — a coil
  11. date — the fruit
  12. snap — to click
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. land — to come down
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. land — a country
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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