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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. cold — an illness
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. snap — to click
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — not warm
  14. saw — the tool
  15. pass — a permit
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. nail — for a hammer

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