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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: snap · court · rest · ruler · track · cold · nail · wave

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — an illness
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. track — a path
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. track — to keep track
  10. court — of a king
  11. snap — to click
  12. rest — what's left
  13. track — a song
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. rest — what's left
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. rest — a break
  20. court — of law
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. court — for sport
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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