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

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. saw — the tool
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. snap — to click
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. sharp — clever
  13. wind — moving air
  14. rush — hurry
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. saw — the tool
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. rush — a thrill

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