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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 help me carry this box?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. snap — to click
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. can — a tin
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bound — obliged
  8. track — a song
  9. club — a group
  10. board — a committee
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. track — a path
  13. board — to get on
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — steady
  17. club — for dancing
  18. bound — tied together
  19. can — a tin
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. track — to keep track
  22. club — for golf
  23. bound — certain
  24. firm — a company

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