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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: chip · mug · lash · content · snap · chest · ball · arm

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mug — a face
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. ball — a great time
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. content — the amount
  8. snap — to click
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. chip — to eat
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. mug — a cup
  14. chest — of your body
  15. content — happy
  16. chip — for betting
  17. mug — to rob
  18. ball — a dance
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. chest — a box
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. chip — in a computer

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