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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 120 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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. kid — child
  5. rash — a series
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. lean — to bend
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. snap — to click
  10. rash — hasty
  11. track — a song
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. track — to keep track
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. lean — thin
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. kid — to tease
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. track — a path
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. squash — to crush

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