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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. march — music
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — low music
  13. capital — money
  14. squash — the sport
  15. squash — to crush
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. march — the month
  18. capital — a city
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. rush — hurry
  21. fall — the season
  22. march — the month
  23. snap — to click
  24. fall — to drop

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