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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: row · bear · chest · pop · object · race · arm · snap

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bear — the animal
  5. object — to protest
  6. pop — soda
  7. object — an aim
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. snap — to click
  11. chest — of your body
  12. race — a contest
  13. pop — music
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. object — a thing
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. pop — to visit
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. bear — the animal
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — humankind
  23. row — a line
  24. chest — a box

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