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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: racket · arm · bore · rule · spring · last · snap · hide

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. last — finally
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. bore — to tire
  8. spring — of water
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. last — to go on
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. rule — government
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bore — to drill
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. last — final
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spring — the season
  23. rule — a law
  24. snap — to click

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