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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. row — a line
  4. wind — moving air
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. snap — to click
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. ground — crushed
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. ground — the earth
  11. row — to paddle
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. mark — a grade
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. saw — the tool
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. mark — a trace
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wind — moving air
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. ground — a position
  24. trunk — of a tree

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