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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bass — the fish
  4. season — in sport
  5. bass — low music
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. club — for dancing
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. saw — the tool
  13. prune — to trim
  14. snap — to click
  15. hand — help
  16. club — for golf
  17. hand — in cards
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. club — a group
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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