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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. pit — a hole
  6. wound — an injury
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. wound — an injury
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. snap — to click
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. ball — a dance
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. ball — a great time
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. racket — for tennis

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