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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. ground — a position
  4. bank — for money
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. bank — of a river
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. ground — the earth
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bank — for money
  17. rush — hurry
  18. fork — in a road
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ground — crushed
  21. pitch — completely
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — child

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