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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: mouse · game · snap · toast · arm · wind · pop · row

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. row — a line
  10. game — wild animals
  11. toast — bread
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. pop — music
  16. snap — to click
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. row — to paddle
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. pop — to visit
  21. game — a match
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wind — moving air

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