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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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Word bank
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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. ball — a great time
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. chair — a leader
  5. dip — to sink
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. scale — in music
  8. bound — certain
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. bound — tied together
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. rush — hurry
  15. ball — a dance
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. snap — to click
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. scale — size or range
  23. bound — obliged
  24. snap — to snap out of it

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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