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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. snap — to click
  4. club — for dancing
  5. ground — crushed
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. firm — decided
  10. club — for golf
  11. firm — steady
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — a position
  14. firm — a company
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. fall — to drop
  18. club — a group
  19. fall — the season
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wax — to grow
  24. pitcher — a jug

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