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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: snap · ball · chair · mine · pit · arm · toast · spell

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. snap — to click
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. pit — a hole
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. mine — for digging
  8. ball — a dance
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. ball — a great time
  12. spell — magic
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. chair — a leader
  15. spell — a short time
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. spell — letters
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. pit — in a race
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. toast — bread

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