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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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. row — a quarrel
  3. ground — a position
  4. fine — high quality
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — in music
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. bore — to drill
  12. ground — the earth
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. track — a path
  15. row — a line
  16. scale — size or range
  17. snap — to click
  18. track — a song
  19. track — to keep track
  20. row — to paddle
  21. bore — to tire
  22. ground — crushed
  23. fine — all right
  24. tube — a container

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