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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. scale — in music
  4. rush — hurry
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. content — happy
  7. track — a path
  8. track — to keep track
  9. snap — to click
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — a subject
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. track — a song
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. scale — size or range
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. field — farmland
  23. content — the amount
  24. hide — animal skin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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