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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. chest — of your body
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. chest — of your body
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bound — certain
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bound — obliged
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. snap — to click
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. chest — a box
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. racket — for tennis

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