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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. spell — magic
  3. content — happy
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. snap — to click
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. content — the amount
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. drill — the tool
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. drill — a practice
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. spell — a short time
  19. drill — army training
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. spell — letters
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. arm — part of the body

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