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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. cap — a hat
  5. chip — for betting
  6. cap — a lid
  7. rule — government
  8. snap — to click
  9. rule — a law
  10. cap — of ice
  11. rest — a break
  12. fall — the season
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. fall — to drop
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. chip — to eat
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. rest — what's left
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — clever
  22. rest — what's left
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. fall — to drop

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