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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. chest — of your body
  5. saw — the tool
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mug — to rob
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. ground — a position
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. ground — crushed
  14. mug — a cup
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. wound — an injury
  17. saw — the tool
  18. ground — the earth
  19. chest — a box
  20. hand — help
  21. plane — a tool
  22. snap — to click
  23. mug — a face
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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