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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. drill — a practice
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. plane — a tool
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. pitch — completely
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. drill — the tool
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — for digging
  20. kid — to tease
  21. rock — a stone
  22. drill — army training
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. rock — 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