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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bass — the fish
  5. pop — soda
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. club — for dancing
  11. sharp — clever
  12. snap — to click
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. club — a group
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. pop — music
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. wake — a trail
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. club — for golf

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