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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. wound — an injury
  3. spell — a short time
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. last — final
  6. spell — magic
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. season — in sport
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. object — an aim
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. season — of the year
  16. last — to go on
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. last — finally
  19. object — a thing
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. object — to protest
  22. wound — an injury
  23. spell — letters
  24. arm — part of the body

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