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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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. scale — size or range
  3. ground — a position
  4. bank — for money
  5. chair — a leader
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to click
  8. ground — the earth
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bank — for money
  11. scale — in music
  12. bank — of a river
  13. stock — shares
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. stock — goods
  16. hand — help
  17. root — of a word
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. root — the cause
  21. ground — crushed
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. root — of a plant
  24. chair — to sit on

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