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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  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. snap — to snap out of it
  2. wound — an injury
  3. key — the most important part
  4. club — a group
  5. pass — a permit
  6. scale — size or range
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. bore — to tire
  9. snap — to click
  10. key — for a lock
  11. club — for dancing
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. club — for golf
  14. bore — to drill
  15. key — in music
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. present — the time now
  21. present — there
  22. present — a gift
  23. scale — for weighing
  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