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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pop — soda
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pop — music
  12. stand — to bear
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bulb — for light
  18. kid — child
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. snap — to click
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. kid — to tease
  24. bulb — for light

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