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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. spell — magic
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. can — a tin
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. cue — a hint
  11. game — a match
  12. cue — a signal
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. spell — a short time
  15. hand — in cards
  16. game — wild animals
  17. spell — letters
  18. cue — for pool
  19. hand — help
  20. snap — to click
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. arm — a part of something

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