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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. snap — to click
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. can — a tin
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. face — part of the head
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. pound — a weight
  10. chest — of your body
  11. face — to point toward
  12. chest — of your body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. chest — a box
  18. saw — the tool
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fork — in a road
  22. face — to confront
  23. can — to be able to
  24. saw — the tool

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