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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. bass — the fish
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. season — in sport
  6. object — to protest
  7. mate — a friend
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — help
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. bass — low music
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. mate — a partner
  19. object — an aim
  20. object — a thing
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. snap — to click
  23. season — of the year
  24. dip — to sink

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