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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. firm — a company
  3. season — in sport
  4. court — of law
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. court — for sport
  7. date — the fruit
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. court — of a king
  12. firm — steady
  13. season — of the year
  14. sharp — clever
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. firm — decided
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. season — to add flavour

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