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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. row — a line
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. row — to paddle
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hand — help
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. date — the fruit
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. rule — a law
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hand — in cards
  16. chest — of your body
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. rule — government
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. snap — to click
  22. chest — of your body
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. hide — to keep secret

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