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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: pit · wound · snap · ruler · mouse · date · saw · hand

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pit — a hole
  7. date — the fruit
  8. wound — an injury
  9. snap — to click
  10. pit — in a race
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. hand — help
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. hand — in cards
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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