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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. pit — in a race
  6. perch — the fish
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bass — the fish
  11. hand — help
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. hand — in cards
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pound — a weight
  24. bass — low music

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