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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: snap · arm · chair · rule · bat · bay · kick · content

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. content — happy
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. rule — a law
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. snap — to click
  11. kick — in football
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. chair — a leader
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. content — the amount
  20. rule — government
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bay — a horse colour

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