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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 120 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stem — to come from
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. last — final
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. last — finally
  9. last — to go on
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. hand — help
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. snap — to click
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. scale — in music
  19. rush — hurry
  20. hand — in cards
  21. scale — size or range
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. arm — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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