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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. pop — soda
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. board — a committee
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. snap — to click
  9. cell — a phone
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. board — to get on
  15. lie — to recline
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — in biology
  18. pop — music
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. pop — to visit
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. wax — to grow
  24. arm — a part of something

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