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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 116 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. mate — a partner
  4. bass — low music
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. band — a ring
  8. snap — to click
  9. sharp — clever
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bank — for money
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. mate — to breed
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. band — a music group
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bank — for money
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  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