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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 · arm · foot · row · roll · cell · firm · snap

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. roll — a cake
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. firm — a company
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. snap — to click
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. roll — a list
  12. cell — in biology
  13. firm — decided
  14. foot — a measure
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. kid — to tease
  18. firm — steady
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. row — a line
  22. row — to paddle
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. kid — child

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