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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: cap · rash · cell · nail · arm · content · rest · snap

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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. cap — a lid
  3. snap — to click
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cap — of ice
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rest — a break
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. rash — a series
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — happy
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. cap — a hat

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