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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. march — the month
  4. deal — to handle
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. wake — a trail
  7. net — in sport
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bass — low music
  10. march — music
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. snap — to click
  14. bear — the animal
  15. net — after costs
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. bear — the animal
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bass — the fish
  22. net — for catching
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. march — the month

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