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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bore — to drill
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — help
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. mug — a face
  11. row — to paddle
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. snap — to click
  15. cell — a phone
  16. mug — a cup
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. row — a line
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. mug — to rob
  22. cell — in biology
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. bore — gave birth

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