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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. snap — to click
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bass — the fish
  6. ball — a great time
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. wind — moving air
  11. chip — for betting
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. wind — moving air
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. rush — hurry
  20. dip — to sink
  21. bass — low music
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. ball — a dance
  24. chip — to eat

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