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

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. snap — to click
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. key — in music
  9. mug — a cup
  10. bark — to shout
  11. stock — goods
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. scale — in music
  16. mug — a face
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — for a lock
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. mug — to rob
  21. stock — shares
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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