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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 120 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. chest — a box
  3. can — a tin
  4. chest — of your body
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. net — for catching
  7. snap — to click
  8. present — the time now
  9. can — to be able to
  10. chest — of your body
  11. net — in sport
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. can — a tin
  14. spell — a short time
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. spell — magic
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. net — after costs
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. present — there
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. spell — letters

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