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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 120 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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. snap — to click
  3. ground — crushed
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. kid — to tease
  6. mug — a face
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. mug — to rob
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. ground — a position
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bass — the fish
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a song
  18. track — a path
  19. bass — low music
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. mug — a cup
  22. ground — the earth
  23. kid — child
  24. rest — what's left

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