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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. snap — to click
  9. mark — a grade
  10. chest — of your body
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. hand — help
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. press — newspapers
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — to push
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. chest — a box
  21. mark — a trace
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hand — in cards
  24. chest — of your body

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