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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  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. snap — to snap out of it
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. chest — a box
  7. cue — for pool
  8. deal — to handle
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cue — a hint
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. chest — of your body
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. snap — to click
  17. mark — a grade
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mark — a trace
  20. cue — a signal
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. mark — to pay attention
  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