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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 120 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. rock — music
  3. clip — for paper
  4. rock — a stone
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. snap — to click
  7. last — finally
  8. last — final
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bass — the fish
  13. last — to go on
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. clip — a video
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. clip — to cut
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. lie — to recline
  24. rash — a series

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