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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: arm · mate · ruler · drill · nail · snap · wound · cold

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. drill — a practice
  4. wound — an injury
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. wound — an injury
  7. cold — an illness
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. drill — army training
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. drill — the tool
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. cold — not warm
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. snap — to click
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. mate — a partner
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. mate — a friend
  24. nail — for a hammer

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