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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. mate — to breed
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. snap — to click
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. fork — in a road
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bass — the fish
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. mate — a partner
  16. capital — a city
  17. mate — a friend
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — hurry
  20. saw — the tool
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. bass — the instrument

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