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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. snap — to click
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bark — to shout
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. kick — in football
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. spell — magic
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. spell — a short time
  20. shower — rain
  21. spell — letters
  22. shower — to wash
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. kick — a thrill

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