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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. scale — in music
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. ground — a position
  5. row — to paddle
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. snap — to click
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — the earth
  11. present — there
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. row — a line
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — in music
  18. rash — hasty
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. present — the time now
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. key — for a lock
  24. rash — a series

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