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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. drill — a practice
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. root — of a plant
  6. bound — tied together
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. tube — a container
  11. content — happy
  12. root — the cause
  13. drill — the tool
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. bound — obliged
  16. root — of a word
  17. march — the month
  18. tube — the underground
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. content — the amount
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. bound — certain
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. drill — army training

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