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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. capital — money
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. snap — to click
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. sharp — clever
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — a city
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bark — of a tree

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