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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bore — to drill
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. hand — in cards
  5. scale — size or range
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. mate — to breed
  8. suit — to fit
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — to shout
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. mate — a partner
  16. snap — to click
  17. wound — an injury
  18. suit — in cards
  19. hand — help
  20. bore — to tire
  21. wound — an injury
  22. suit — clothes
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. scale — in music

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