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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 120 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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. snap — to click
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bass — low music
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. club — for dancing
  11. bank — for money
  12. chest — a box
  13. club — for golf
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bank — for money
  17. bass — the fish
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. bank — of a river
  20. deal — to handle
  21. club — a group
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — of your body

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