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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. lean — thin
  9. pitch — completely
  10. cue — for pool
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. last — to go on
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. cue — a hint
  17. last — finally
  18. cue — a signal
  19. lean — to bend
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. last — final
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. patient — a sick person

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