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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pound — a weight
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. lean — to bend
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. lean — thin
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. plane — a tool
  15. snap — to click
  16. cell — a phone
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. cell — in biology
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. dip — to sink
  24. plane — in geometry

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