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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. pit — a hole
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. mate — to breed
  7. firm — a company
  8. chest — of your body
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. current — of water
  12. roll — a cake
  13. pit — in a race
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. firm — steady
  16. mate — a friend
  17. chest — of your body
  18. current — electric
  19. roll — a list
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. mate — a partner
  22. chest — a box
  23. current — happening now
  24. firm — decided

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