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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  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. cap — a lid
  2. club — for dancing
  3. snap — to click
  4. spell — letters
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. cap — of ice
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. club — for golf
  11. file — a line of people
  12. cap — a hat
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. file — a document
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. file — a tool
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. club — a group
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — a short time
  23. lie — to recline
  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