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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. snap — to click
  3. rest — a break
  4. net — for catching
  5. chest — of your body
  6. tube — a container
  7. file — a document
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. rest — what's left
  12. tube — the underground
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — after costs
  18. chest — a box
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. file — a line of people
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. file — a tool
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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