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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. craft — a skill
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. club — for golf
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. perch — the fish
  16. club — for dancing
  17. craft — boats
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. club — a group
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — for a bird

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