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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: date · pit · bound · coach · snap · tear · arm · mouse

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. snap — to click
  5. date — the fruit
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bound — tied together
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bound — obliged
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. tear — from crying
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bound — certain
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. pit — in a race

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