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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. ground — the earth
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. rush — hurry
  7. toast — bread
  8. drill — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. snap — to click
  11. ground — crushed
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. perch — the fish
  15. hand — in cards
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. drill — a practice
  20. hand — help
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. drill — army training
  23. ground — a position
  24. toast — the most admired

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