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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. cell — in biology
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — to breed
  7. cell — a phone
  8. clip — for paper
  9. pop — music
  10. bass — low music
  11. clip — a video
  12. staff — employees
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. clip — to cut
  15. key — in music
  16. bass — the fish
  17. key — the most important part
  18. staff — employees
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. mate — a friend
  21. key — for a lock
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pop — soda
  24. staff — a stick

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