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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 116 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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. mug — a cup
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. shower — rain
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a face
  17. net — for catching
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — after costs
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. snap — to click

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