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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. degree — an amount
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. snap — to click
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. degree — from a university
  15. game — a match
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. game — wild animals
  18. mark — a trace
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. lie — to recline
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — low music
  23. mark — a grade
  24. degree — temperature

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