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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. saw — the tool
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. bat — the animal
  14. current — of water
  15. dip — to sink
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. current — electric
  19. current — happening now
  20. hand — help
  21. saw — the tool
  22. hand — in cards
  23. scale — in music
  24. snap — to click

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