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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. race — humankind
  3. snap — to click
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. hand — in cards
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. race — a contest
  9. pit — a hole
  10. hand — help
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. pit — in a race
  20. dip — to sink
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. race — the arms race
  23. date — the fruit
  24. mouse — for a computer

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