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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 · arm · rule · rest · stock · hand · snap · bay

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rule — a law
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. stock — shares
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. hand — in cards
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. hand — help
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — goods
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. snap — to click
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rule — government
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bore — to tire
  23. rest — a break
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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