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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 120 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. mug — a cup
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. wound — an injury
  7. scale — in music
  8. rush — hurry
  9. scale — size or range
  10. snap — to click
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. mug — to rob
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. tube — the underground
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. land — a country
  17. tube — a container
  18. mug — a face
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. wound — an injury
  21. vault — a safe
  22. land — to come down
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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