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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. snap — to click
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — size or range
  6. spring — of water
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. object — a thing
  9. content — the amount
  10. row — to paddle
  11. content — happy
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. rock — a stone
  14. object — to protest
  15. spring — the season
  16. plane — a tool
  17. scale — in music
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. row — a line
  22. spring — a coil
  23. rock — music
  24. row — a quarrel

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