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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. key — the most important part
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. hand — in cards
  8. key — in music
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. charge — a price
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. snap — to click
  13. bass — the fish
  14. key — for a lock
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — to handle
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. charge — in control
  22. bass — low music
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. charge — electricity

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