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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. drill — the tool
  3. row — a line
  4. scale — size or range
  5. staff — employees
  6. mate — a friend
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. drill — a practice
  10. scale — in music
  11. shower — to wash
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. pass — a permit
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. mate — to breed
  17. shower — rain
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. mate — a partner
  20. row — to paddle
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. drill — army training

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