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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. file — a tool
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. cold — an illness
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. can — a tin
  9. file — a document
  10. can — a tin
  11. file — a line of people
  12. cold — not warm
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bank — of a river
  15. rest — a break
  16. rest — what's left
  17. snap — to click
  18. can — to be able to
  19. bank — for money
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bank — for money

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