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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. ball — a dance
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. ball — a great time
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bore — to tire
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. scale — size or range
  12. snap — to click
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. scale — in music
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — gave birth

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