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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. scale — size or range
  3. mate — a partner
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. scale — in music
  6. rash — hasty
  7. snap — to click
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bear — the animal
  10. mate — a friend
  11. can — to be able to
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. can — a tin
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. mate — to breed
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. wound — an injury
  20. ball — a dance
  21. rash — a series
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. can — a tin
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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