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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. key — for a lock
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. lean — thin
  7. snap — to click
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. lean — to bend
  12. rash — hasty
  13. stock — goods
  14. key — in music
  15. tear — from crying
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — to rip
  19. stock — shares
  20. rash — a series
  21. key — the most important part
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. rash — on the skin

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