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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — a position
  3. cue — for pool
  4. tube — a container
  5. drill — army training
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. clip — to cut
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — in music
  12. game — wild animals
  13. clip — a video
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cue — a signal
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — a practice
  19. tube — the underground
  20. ground — crushed
  21. snap — to click
  22. game — a match
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. clip — for paper

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