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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 116 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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. bass — low music
  3. ground — a position
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a great time
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. mug — to rob
  9. ground — crushed
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bass — the fish
  12. tube — the underground
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. tube — a container
  15. ground — the earth
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. mug — a face
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. cell — a phone
  23. snap — to click
  24. tube — in a tire

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