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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. snap — to click
  3. present — a gift
  4. present — there
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. rule — a law
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. spell — letters
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. spell — magic
  14. content — the amount
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rule — government
  18. present — the time now
  19. hand — help
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. hand — in cards
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. spell — a short time
  24. content — happy

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