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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. fine — all right
  3. game — a match
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — high quality
  6. mark — a trace
  7. game — wild animals
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bear — the animal
  14. charge — electricity
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bark — to shout
  19. mark — a grade
  20. bear — the animal
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. charge — a price
  23. charge — in control
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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