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

Word bank: rest · game · snap · arm · rash · kid · bowl · racket

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. game — a match
  5. rest — a break
  6. game — wild animals
  7. rash — hasty
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. rest — what's left
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. snap — to click
  12. kid — child
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. rest — what's left
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. rash — a series

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