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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. spell — a short time
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bass — the fish
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bass — low music
  9. cell — in biology
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. current — happening now
  12. spell — letters
  13. current — electric
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. snap — to click
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. current — of water
  18. spell — magic

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