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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — in music
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. march — the month
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. face — to point toward
  8. snap — to click
  9. content — the amount
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — happy
  13. face — part of the head
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. march — music
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bark — to shout
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. face — to confront
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. march — the month
  24. bat — the animal

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