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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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. lie — an untruth
  3. snap — to click
  4. kid — child
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. bass — low music
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. bass — the fish
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. lie — to recline
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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