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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. game — a match
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. present — a gift
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pound — a weight
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. present — the time now
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — size or range
  18. bore — to drill
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. present — there
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. bore — to tire

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