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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: hide · key · snap · bore · arm · court · last · fall

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. bore — to drill
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. court — of law
  7. key — for a lock
  8. fall — the season
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. last — finally
  15. court — for sport
  16. last — final
  17. court — of a king
  18. snap — to click
  19. last — to go on
  20. key — in music
  21. key — the most important part
  22. bore — to tire
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

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