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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. snap — to click
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bear — the animal
  10. rush — hurry
  11. key — the most important part
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. capital — a city
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. pit — a hole
  16. key — in music
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. pit — in a race
  19. capital — money
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. arm — a part of something

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