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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. snap — to click
  3. drill — army training
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. roll — a list
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. drill — a practice
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. rule — government
  10. roll — a cake
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. spell — a short time
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. drill — the tool
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. spell — letters
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. perch — the fish
  22. rule — a law
  23. spell — magic
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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