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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: club · arm · snap · bat · coach · cell · firm · root

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. firm — decided
  4. root — of a plant
  5. snap — to click
  6. club — for golf
  7. cell — in biology
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. root — of a word
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. root — the cause
  12. cell — a phone
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. club — a group
  17. firm — steady
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bat — the animal
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. firm — a company
  24. arm — part of the body

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