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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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. present — there
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — a practice
  7. present — a gift
  8. wind — moving air
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. toast — bread
  12. snap — to click
  13. wind — moving air
  14. ground — a position
  15. present — the time now
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. fork — in a road
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. ground — crushed
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. drill — army training
  23. ground — the earth
  24. mouse — for a computer

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