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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 120 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: bore · cue · snap · bat · rule · track · arm · chest

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. track — a path
  3. bore — to drill
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. chest — of your body
  6. track — to keep track
  7. bore — to tire
  8. chest — a box
  9. cue — a hint
  10. track — a song
  11. cue — for pool
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. chest — of your body
  15. cue — a signal
  16. rule — government
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. snap — to click
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. rule — to rule out

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