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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mouse · arm · field · mate · pit · snap · clip · rock

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — a friend
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. pit — in a race
  6. snap — to click
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — a video
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — a subject
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. rock — a stone
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. mate — to breed
  21. rock — music
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. clip — for paper
  24. field — for sport

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