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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. pop — to visit
  4. mate — to breed
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. snap — to click
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bass — the fish
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. firm — a company
  12. mate — a partner
  13. pop — music
  14. firm — steady
  15. capital — a city
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — help
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. firm — decided
  21. capital — money
  22. bass — low music
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. pop — soda

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