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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: rest · kick · temple · chest · bore · snap · last · charge

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. charge — a price
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. charge — in control
  8. chest — of your body
  9. last — to go on
  10. chest — of your body
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. bore — to tire
  13. rest — what's left
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. rest — what's left
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. snap — to click
  18. last — finally
  19. bore — to drill
  20. kick — in football
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. last — final
  23. rest — a break
  24. charge — electricity

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