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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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Word bank
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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: rash · snap · arm · swing · bore · tube · mark · bat

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. rash — a series
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — a container
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. bore — to tire
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mark — a grade
  17. swing — to play on
  18. swing — in golf
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. rash — hasty
  21. snap — to click
  22. swing — music
  23. bat — the animal
  24. mark — to pay attention

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