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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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. ball — a dance
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. key — in music
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. last — finally
  7. bear — the animal
  8. key — for a lock
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. snap — to click
  11. ball — a great time
  12. last — to go on
  13. kid — to tease
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. key — the most important part
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bear — the animal
  19. kid — child
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. can — a tin
  24. last — final

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