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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to click
  6. bass — the fish
  7. game — a match
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. game — wild animals
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. bass — low music
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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