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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. snap — to click
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. key — for a lock
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. face — to confront
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. key — in music
  13. kid — to tease
  14. perch — the fish
  15. kick — in football
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. key — the most important part
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. kid — child
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. face — to point toward
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. face — part of the head

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