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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. pop — music
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bound — obliged
  8. snap — to click
  9. sharp — clever
  10. pop — soda
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bound — tied together
  13. kid — child
  14. stock — goods
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pop — to visit
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. stock — shares
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. kid — to tease
  24. bound — certain

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