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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: pound · saw · nail · snap · stand · chest · cue · staff

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. chest — of your body
  3. snap — to click
  4. chest — a box
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cue — a hint
  8. pound — a weight
  9. stand — to bear
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. staff — employees
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. saw — the tool
  16. chest — of your body
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — a stick
  19. cue — a signal
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  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