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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. snap — to click
  5. row — to paddle
  6. rest — a break
  7. saw — the tool
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. rest — what's left
  10. saw — the tool
  11. scale — size or range
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. key — for a lock
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. kick — in football
  20. rest — what's left
  21. key — the most important part
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — a line
  24. scale — in 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