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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: kid · current · row · snap · bat · stick · safe · arm

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bat — the animal
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. kid — to tease
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. current — of water
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. kid — child
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — electric
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. snap — to click
  20. row — to paddle
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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