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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. dip — to sink
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. game — wild animals
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. squash — the sport
  12. hand — in cards
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. prune — to trim
  15. hand — help
  16. squash — to crush
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. snap — to click
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. prune — to trim
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. game — a match

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