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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. bulb — for light
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a line
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. kick — in football
  12. bass — low music
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. craft — boats
  17. bass — the fish
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. bulb — for light
  22. snap — to click
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. craft — a skill

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