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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 116 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: fall · rest · snap · bore · hand · rule · ball · nail

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. rule — government
  3. fall — to drop
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. fall — the season
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bore — to drill
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. hand — help
  14. ball — a dance
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. rest — what's left
  22. ball — a great time
  23. rule — a law
  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