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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 keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. staff — employees
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. track — a path
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. staff — a stick
  10. bulb — for light
  11. cold — not warm
  12. track — a song
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. snap — to click
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. staff — employees
  21. bulb — for light
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. cold — an illness
  24. nail — on a finger

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