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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bark — to shout
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. key — in music
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. bat — the animal
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. board — a committee
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. key — for a lock
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. key — the most important part
  21. board — to get on
  22. snap — to click
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bark — of a tree

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