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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: lie · chest · cue · snap · cell · rash · drill · temple

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. drill — a practice
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. chest — of your body
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. lie — to recline
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cue — a signal
  10. rash — hasty
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. chest — a box
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cue — for pool
  15. rash — a series
  16. chest — of your body
  17. drill — army training
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. drill — the tool
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. cue — a hint
  24. temple — a place of worship

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