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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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Word bank
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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: nail · bat · track · mine · chest · suit · snap · band

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. chest — of your body
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. track — a song
  5. snap — to click
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. chest — of your body
  8. suit — in cards
  9. bat — the animal
  10. suit — clothes
  11. chest — a box
  12. track — to keep track
  13. band — a music group
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. mine — for digging
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. track — a path
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. suit — to fit

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