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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. chest — of your body
  5. kick — in football
  6. bass — low music
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. sharp — clever
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. chair — a leader
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. chest — of your body
  16. board — to get on
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. bass — the fish
  19. chest — a box
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. board — a committee
  23. snap — to click
  24. sharp — exactly

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