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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 116 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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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. cell — in biology
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. firm — steady
  5. saw — the tool
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. snap — to click
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. present — the time now
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. kid — child
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. saw — the tool
  14. firm — a company
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. present — a gift
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. present — there
  21. kid — to tease
  22. plane — a tool
  23. firm — decided
  24. cell — a phone

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