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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. mate — a friend
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — letters
  7. pound — a weight
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. bass — low music
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. bass — the fish
  13. spell — a short time
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — to breed
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. jam — to spread on bread

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