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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. snap — to click
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. foot — a measure
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bulb — for light
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bound — certain
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — the animal
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. bulb — of a plant

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