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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: deal · snap · fork · bay · rest · spell · arm · chest

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. deal — to handle
  4. spell — a short time
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. chest — of your body
  7. snap — to click
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. chest — a box
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. rest — a break
  18. chest — of your body
  19. spell — letters
  20. fork — in a road
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. spell — magic
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. deal — a big deal

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