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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: snap · lean · racket · straw · cabinet · chip · chest · nail

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — a box
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. lean — thin
  6. lean — to bend
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. snap — to click
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. chip — to eat
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. chip — for betting
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. chest — of your body
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. racket — for tennis

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