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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. cap — a hat
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. snap — to click
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. ball — a dance
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. ball — a great time
  14. cap — a lid
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cap — of ice
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pitch — completely
  24. hide — animal skin

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