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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. charge — in control
  4. snap — to click
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. dip — to sink
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. ball — a dance
  11. fall — the season
  12. wound — an injury
  13. stem — to come from
  14. charge — electricity
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. fall — to drop
  18. charge — a price
  19. wound — an injury
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. fall — to drop
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. stem — of a plant

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