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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. firm — a company
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. snap — to click
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. firm — steady
  8. firm — decided
  9. bass — the fish
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bass — low music
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. content — happy
  20. game — a match
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. content — the amount

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