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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. bore — to tire
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. plane — a tool
  5. key — in music
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — help
  8. bore — to drill
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. scale — size or range
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. key — the most important part
  13. scale — in music
  14. track — a path
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. key — for a lock
  17. hand — in cards
  18. snap — to click
  19. track — to keep track
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. plane — an aircraft

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