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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: ground · snap · temple · rule · hand · arm · suit · calf

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. ground — a position
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — in cards
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. rule — a law
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. suit — in cards
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. suit — to fit
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. hand — help
  14. snap — to click
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. rule — government
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. suit — clothes
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — crushed
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. temple — side of the head

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