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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: court · staff · snap · cell · key · arm · fall · tube

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. tube — a container
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — a phone
  5. tube — the underground
  6. key — the most important part
  7. court — of a king
  8. staff — employees
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. staff — employees
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. court — of law
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. staff — a stick
  17. court — for sport
  18. key — for a lock
  19. fall — the season
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. key — in music
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. arm — part of the body

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