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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. last — final
  3. last — finally
  4. snap — to click
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. mate — a friend
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. bat — the animal
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. last — to go on
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. squash — to crush
  17. mate — a partner
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. mark — a grade
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. mark — a trace
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bat — in an idiom

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