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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — music
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bass — the fish
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. hand — in cards
  14. snap — to click
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. game — a match
  20. bass — low music
  21. hand — help
  22. sharp — clever
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bass — the instrument

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