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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. snap — to click
  3. toast — bread
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. tube — the underground
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. cap — a hat
  9. rest — what's left
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. cap — of ice
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mark — a grade
  18. cap — a lid
  19. tube — a container
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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