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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. snap — to click
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. ball — a great time
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a dance
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. hand — help
  16. board — a committee
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. wax — to grow
  19. board — to get on
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. deal — to handle
  24. hand — in cards

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