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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. rest — what's left
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. key — for a lock
  7. scale — in music
  8. kid — to tease
  9. bear — the animal
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bear — the animal
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. bass — low music
  14. rest — a break
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. rest — what's left
  19. deal — to handle
  20. key — the most important part
  21. bass — the fish
  22. kid — child
  23. scale — size or range
  24. key — in music

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