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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. march — music
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. ball — a great time
  5. scale — size or range
  6. snap — to click
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. march — the month
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. scale — in music
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bore — to tire
  18. march — the month
  19. bore — to drill
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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