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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: racket · chair · snap · arm · stick · file · kick · bulb

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. bulb — for light
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bulb — for light
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. file — a tool
  9. kick — in football
  10. file — a document
  11. chair — a leader
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. file — a line of people
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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