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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. spell — magic
  3. cell — a phone
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. cell — in biology
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. march — music
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. snap — to click
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. spell — letters
  23. kick — in football
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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