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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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Word bank
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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: mouse · object · hand · foot · snap · sharp · kid · cap

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. object — to protest
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. hand — help
  10. cap — a lid
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. cap — of ice
  13. sharp — clever
  14. snap — to click
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. object — an aim
  17. cap — a hat
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. foot — a measure
  20. kid — to tease
  21. hand — in cards
  22. kid — child
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. object — a thing

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