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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — the fish
  4. mug — a cup
  5. snap — to click
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bass — low music
  8. mug — a face
  9. net — for catching
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. net — after costs
  12. roll — a list
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. ball — a dance
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. ball — a great time
  19. roll — a cake
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. mug — to rob
  23. net — in sport
  24. wax — to grow

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