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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. face — part of the head
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. shower — rain
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. rush — hurry
  9. shower — to wash
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. face — to point toward
  14. kid — to tease
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. mate — a friend
  17. face — to confront
  18. pound — a weight
  19. mate — a partner
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. snap — to click
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. mate — to breed

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