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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. plane — a tool
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. ball — a great time
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. snap — to click
  13. wound — an injury
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bat — the animal
  16. ball — a dance
  17. scale — in music
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. pound — a weight
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. plane — in geometry

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