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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. kid — to tease
  3. mark — a trace
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — a practice
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. mark — a grade
  8. kid — child
  9. drill — army training
  10. bear — the animal
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. fine — all right
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. bear — the animal
  15. capital — money
  16. fine — high quality
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. snap — to click
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. capital — a city
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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