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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: nail · press · snap · cap · rest · deal · hand · straw

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. press — newspapers
  7. cap — a hat
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. rest — a break
  12. press — to push
  13. snap — to click
  14. rest — what's left
  15. deal — to handle
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. cap — of ice
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. cap — a lid
  22. rest — what's left
  23. press — a publisher
  24. hand — in cards

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