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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. chest — of your body
  3. staff — employees
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bark — to shout
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. snap — to click
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fine — all right
  11. last — to go on
  12. staff — a stick
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. fine — high quality
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. last — finally
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. chest — a box
  20. staff — employees
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bark — of a tree

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