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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. snap — to click
  4. stand — to bear
  5. net — in sport
  6. cap — of ice
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. kick — in football
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — low music
  12. net — after costs
  13. bound — obliged
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. pop — soda
  16. cap — a hat
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. cap — a lid
  20. pop — music
  21. bound — tied together
  22. pop — to visit
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bound — certain

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