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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 120 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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. bat — the animal
  3. sharp — clever
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — humankind
  6. suit — to fit
  7. bound — certain
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. snap — to click
  12. suit — clothes
  13. foot — a measure
  14. suit — in cards
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. bound — obliged
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. ball — a great time
  21. bound — tied together
  22. ball — a dance
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. foot — 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