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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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. arm — a part of something
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. chip — to eat
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. cold — an illness
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. pound — a weight
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. cold — not warm
  17. pass — a permit
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. mine — for digging
  21. chip — for betting
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. snap — to click
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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