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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. ball — a dance
  5. firm — decided
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. wax — to grow
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — for golf
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. firm — steady
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. game — wild animals
  17. club — a group
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. ball — a great time
  20. firm — a company
  21. rush — hurry
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. game — a match

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