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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 120 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: snap · file · kick · mark · stand · scale · kid · arm

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. snap — to click
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a line of people
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. file — a tool
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. stand — to bear
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. mark — a grade
  19. scale — in music
  20. mark — a trace
  21. scale — size or range
  22. kick — in football
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. kid — to tease

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