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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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. scale — in music
  3. firm — decided
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fork — in a road
  6. spring — the season
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. board — a committee
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. firm — steady
  14. spring — a coil
  15. hand — in cards
  16. scale — size or range
  17. board — to get on
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fine — all right
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. spring — of water
  22. snap — to click
  23. firm — a company
  24. hand — help

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