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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. rule — government
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. hand — help
  8. stock — shares
  9. hand — in cards
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. stock — goods
  12. stand — to bear
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. toast — bread
  18. bass — the fish
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rule — a law
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. calf — a young animal

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