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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 120 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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bore — to drill
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. chip — to eat
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. bore — to tire
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. chip — for betting
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. wax — to grow
  15. stock — goods
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. mug — a cup
  18. stock — shares
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. mug — a face
  22. bat — the animal
  23. deal — to handle
  24. mug — to rob

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