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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. press — to push
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. bass — low music
  6. date — the fruit
  7. roll — a cake
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. press — a publisher
  10. roll — a list
  11. land — a country
  12. press — newspapers
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. land — ground
  18. sharp — clever
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. land — to come down
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. bass — the fish

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