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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. snap — to click
  3. rule — a law
  4. object — a thing
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. foot — a measure
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. object — an aim
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. sharp — clever
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. stem — to come from
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. rule — government
  24. foot — the bottom

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