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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. march — music
  5. scale — size or range
  6. scale — in music
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. squash — the sport
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. lie — to recline
  11. snap — to click
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. march — the month
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — a stick
  19. kick — in football
  20. march — the month
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. staff — employees
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. lie — an untruth

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