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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. shower — rain
  3. snap — to click
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. board — a committee
  6. content — the amount
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. content — happy
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. deal — to handle
  16. shower — to wash
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. march — the month
  19. bass — low music
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. board — to get on
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — in football
  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