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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: ruler · kid · snap · foot · chest · net · prune · cabinet

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. snap — to click
  3. chest — of your body
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. foot — a measure
  10. net — after costs
  11. chest — a box
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. net — for catching
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. net — in sport
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. chest — of your body
  23. prune — to trim
  24. kid — to tease

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