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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. snap — to click
  3. pop — soda
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bass — the fish
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cue — a hint
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pop — music
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. pop — to visit
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. cue — for pool
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. cue — a signal
  21. foot — a measure
  22. rash — a series
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. bass — low music

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