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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bass — the fish
  5. clip — to cut
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. pound — a weight
  8. rash — a series
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. clip — a video
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. snap — to click
  14. saw — the tool
  15. lie — to recline
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. clip — for paper
  22. rash — hasty
  23. bass — the instrument
  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