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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. scale — size or range
  3. game — wild animals
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. pop — to visit
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. scale — in music
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. object — an aim
  11. pop — soda
  12. snap — to click
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. hand — help
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pop — music
  18. object — to protest
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. game — a match
  23. object — a thing
  24. wound — an injury

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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