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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: rock · lie · mine · plane · court · arm · kid · snap

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. kid — to tease
  4. lie — to recline
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — for digging
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. plane — a tool
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. court — of a king
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. rock — a stone
  17. kid — child
  18. rock — music
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. court — of law
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. court — for sport

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