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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. hand — in cards
  3. field — farmland
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bore — to drill
  7. club — for golf
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. snap — to click
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bore — to tire
  18. field — a subject
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. club — a group
  21. field — for sport
  22. pitch — completely
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. hide — to keep secret

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