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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. drill — army training
  8. game — wild animals
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. rash — hasty
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. cell — a phone
  14. rash — a series
  15. snap — to click
  16. bass — the fish
  17. drill — a practice
  18. dip — to sink
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. drill — the tool
  23. game — a match
  24. bass — low music

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