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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. land — ground
  5. ball — a dance
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. dip — to sink
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. pit — a hole
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. rash — hasty
  12. land — a country
  13. snap — to click
  14. land — to come down
  15. pit — in a race
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. bass — low music
  21. rash — a series
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. ball — a great time
  24. bass — the fish

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