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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  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. cell — in biology
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. drill — army training
  4. snap — to click
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. fine — high quality
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fine — all right
  9. drill — the tool
  10. cell — a phone
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. drill — a practice
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. chest — a box
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. shower — rain
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. bulb — for light
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bulb — for light
  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