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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bear · bat · snap · scale · track · last · kid · ruler

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  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. last — final
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. last — to go on
  8. track — a path
  9. track — to keep track
  10. bear — the animal
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. bear — the animal
  13. track — a song
  14. kid — child
  15. bat — the animal
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. last — finally
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. scale — in music
  23. kid — to tease
  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