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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 116 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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. ground — the earth
  4. fork — in a road
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. saw — the tool
  9. ground — a position
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. race — the arms race
  12. scale — in music
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. snap — to click
  15. race — a contest
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. race — humankind
  19. ground — crushed
  20. tube — the underground
  21. saw — the tool
  22. tube — a container
  23. scale — size or range
  24. sharp — clever

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