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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. mug — a face
  3. mug — a cup
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. tear — from crying
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. tear — from crying
  13. capital — a city
  14. tear — to rip
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. mug — to rob
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. prune — to trim
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. prune — to trim
  22. fork — in a road
  23. capital — money
  24. dip — to sink

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