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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 116 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. club — a group
  4. bore — to drill
  5. net — for catching
  6. chip — to eat
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. scale — in music
  9. mate — a partner
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. club — for golf
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. net — after costs
  18. bore — to tire
  19. snap — to click
  20. club — for dancing
  21. scale — size or range
  22. net — in sport
  23. chip — for betting
  24. mate — to breed

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